














-v 






























O 0" 



>- V 6 



o CT 



4- r i 






'"+<& 



<b ^> 



^ 















oH ^ 


















V 












oo x 






^ ^ 



o^ ^ 












w 

/ % 



•^ V 












<->, 
















V ^ 












sV <r-, 






s \ 






tf 






& 



^ % 







: 









"*/> ,# 



</- ,v 









> 



^% 






.^■ s 



& 






« . o. 



v^ 
^ ^ 






Oo, 






<3 



•5^^ 



^ -/:, 



5 ^ 


















^* 



c* v 






; "*, 



> 






*% 



































































Digitized by the Internet Archive 
in 2011 with funding from 
The Library of Congress 



http://www.archive.org/details/experthousepaintOOkell 



The 

Expert House Painter 

A COMPLETE EXPOSITION OF THE ART AND PRACTISE 
OF HOUSE AND STRUCTURAL PAINTING, 
INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR 

Including Surfaces of Wood, Plaster, Stucco, Cement and 
Concrete, Iron, Steel, Galvanized Iron, Tin, Copper, Etc. 



Containing Also a Full Description of All the Pigments and 

Liquids Used in the Work, Latest Methods of 

Treatment, Very Full Color Schemes For 

All Kinds of Buildings, Estimates 

of Materials, Quantities 

and Covering 

Capacity 

Etc. 

BY 

A. ASHMUN KELLY 

Formerly Instructor in the Winona Technical Institute at Indianapolis, Ind. 

Editor and Publisher of The Master Painter, a Monthly Magazine 

for Painters, Etc., Author and Publisher of the Expert Sign 

Painter, The Expert Wood Finisher, The Expert 

Paper Hanger, The Expert Calciminer, 

and The Expert Painters' 

Estimator 



1913 

Press of The Master Painter Publishing Co. 
Malvern, Penna., U. S. A. 









Copyrighted 1913, by A. Ashmun Kelly 



JAN -6 1914 



©CI.A362059 






/in (sU 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 



Pages 

Painting Interior Woodwork 3- 6 

Flat Finishes 7- 10 

Enamel Painting 11- 21 

Painting Smooth, Hard Plaster -Walls 22- 39 

Flat Wall Paints 40- 5 1 

Painting Floors 52- 57 

Preparing and Painting Interior Walls 58- 67. 

Painting New Exterior Woodwork 68- 88 

Repainting 89-1 10 

Good Painting Difficult 11 1-123 

Painting by Spraying 124-126 

Painting Brick (Walls 127-137 

Painting Over Cement and Concrete 138-150 

Staining and Painting Shingles 151-158 

Painting with Red Lead 159-168 

Painting Tin Roofs 169-178 

Painting and Bronzing Radiators 179-182 

Painting Structural Ironwork 183-190 

Painting Galvanized Iron 191-196 

Exterior Color Schemes 197-210 

Pigments Used by House Painters .211-233 

White Lead 234-245 

Zinc White 246-254 

Mixing Colors 255-281 

Linseed Oil 282-296 

Thinners and Solvents 297-311 

Some Little-Used Paint Oils 312-314 

Driers , 315-327 

Some Facts and Figures 328-357 

Marine Painting 358-366 

Glazing Sash (Illustrated) 367-383 

Putty 384-396 



Paces 

Sandpaper and Its Uses (Illustrated) 397-399 

Bridling Brushes (Illustrated) 400-406 

The Jour.'s Brush, Cleaning Brushes, Care of 
Brushes, Practical Brush Notes, What Brush 

Makers Tell Us, with illustrations 407-416 

Scaffold Work (Illustrated) 417-432 

Fitting Out the Paint Shop 433-438 

Origin and Nature of Color 439-446 

White Lead Poisoning 447-452 

Painters' Questions Answered — Ninety Pages 453-544 

Notes on Painting Iron and Other Metals 545-555 

Practical Paint Notes 556-563 

Practical Notes for Painters 564-578 

Composition of Paint and Their Cost .579-597 



Ife 


UBK 



PAINTING WOOD=WORK-INTERIOR 

HE priming of interior wood-work is done 
according" to the character of the wood. 
Treatment of the old white pine wood, 
scarce now, but dear to memory still, re- 
quires little description ; well thinned white 
lead paint, little driers, is all that is required. But as 
much of the white pine of to-day contains much sap 
and hard spots, these require attention. The sap will 
require touching up with an extra coat; the hard parts 
will need to be well brushed out, with heavier or less 
oily paint. For a white job it may be necessary to 
coat the work with white shellac. Then sandpaper- 
ing, for the smoother the work is made at the start the 
easier it will be to maintain smoothness to the finish. 
It is well when sandpapering to lay down stiff paper of 
cloth, to catch the lead dust, after which the cloth or 
paper may be shaken out of doors. Dust off wood- 
work after sandpapering. Puttv all nail holes and 
other imperfections. A putty made of white lead and 
whiting, or adding some white lead to the usual putty, 
according to color of finish desired, will be better than 
ordinary putty, which is difficult to hide with several 
coats of white. White lead putty dries harder and 
does not shrink as whiting putty is apt to do. 

In sandpapering, if the paper is slightly dampened 
with benzine or turpentine, there will be no dust to fly. 
Shellac all knots and sappy places, using the white 
shellac and using it thin. Many prefer to shellac on 
the priming coat. There does not seem to be any par- 
ticular advantage in this. Shellac in grain or de- 
natured alcohol is better than that in wood alcohol. 
Never use wood alcohol at all. 



4 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

New brushes will not give as smooth a job as brushes 
that have been worn some, or until the roughness has 
been taken off. It requires a smooth brush to effect a 
smooth job of painting. If the brush has been broken- 
in on outside or rough work, it will then be fit to do 
good smooth work, inside or outside, but more partic- 
ularly inside work, for here the brush marks are more 
apt to show, on account of the stiff nature of turpentine 
paint; while on outside painting the paint, oil-mixed, 
will flow enough, usually, to obliterate all brush marks. 
There should be a full set of brushes, 8-0 or 10-0, as 
may be preferred, and according to character of work, 
whether large or small surfaces. A large brush will 
not do so well on a rather small surface. But time 
may be saved and good work done by using as large a 
tool as the nature of the work will admit of; often a 
painter will be found painting with a sash tool where 
he should be using a pound brush. 

The best work can only be done when the right paint 
is used, and when the paint is well rubbed in and out. 
A paint chat won't admit of a great deal of rubbing 
out is a very poor sort of paint. Rubbing-out is called 
for on each and every coat, from priming to finish. 

A white dead flat job requires making each coat per- 
fectly smooth, and two things will help greatly in ef- 
fecting a smooth finish, namely, making the priming 
coat perfectly smooth and level, and careful brush 
work at every stage of the work. 

If, when painting over dark putty, or over any dark 
marks, you will discolor the white a trifle, it will make 
a good white finish. Add a little lampblack to the 
white, to just turn it from the white, though if the dark 
marks are very pronounced you will have to increase 
the tint of the white accordingly. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 5 

White coach japan does very well in interior white 
paint, in place of patent paste drier or lead acetate 
(sugar of lead). But a first-class job of dead flat 
white finish demands sugar of lead. Patent drier is 
simply a mixture of sugar of lead and whiting. 

For dead-flat work the white lead in oil must be 
drawn, a process which may be briefly described as 
follows : Mix up some white lead with turpentine and 
let it stand, say over night. In the morning the oil will 
have risen to the top of the paint, and may be skimmed 
off. Repeat this process, leaving the paint stand until 
night, then skim off the oil again. In some cases it 
may be necessary to remove all the risin liquid, and 
mix again with fresh turpentine. This will give a 
lead much freer from oil than the single-drawn process. 
By this means enough oil remains in the lead to act as 
a binder, but not enough to yellow the finish. Re- 
membering that it is not the lead, but the oil that yel- 
lows. Zinc white mixed with oil will also yellow, just 
as readily and as greatly as white lead in oil. 

To make a good rubbed white job, prime as directed 
for woodwork, and make perfectly smooth with sand- 
paper. Thin the second coat of lead with two parts of 
turpentine and one part of oil, adding a little white 
japan drier. For the third coat thin the lead with tur- 
pentine only, adding a little white japan drier. See 
that each coat is sandpapered smooth. And allow am- 
ple time for hardening. The fourth coat should be, 
for strictly first-class work, flake white ground in var- 
nish and thinned with turpentine. This may be fol- 
lowed by finishing coat, using the very best French 
zinc white ground in damar varnLh and thinned down 
with some high-grade white rubbing varnish, adding 
enough turpentine to make the paint flow out and level 



6 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

down right. This last coat is the one that is to be 
rubbed down. 

The smoother you keep the work as it progresses the 
less the number of coats it will require. For instance, 
if the under coats have not been made perfectly level 
and smooth, then it will require two or three coats to 
make a good rubbing surface. Also, if the job is done 
on old work, well smoothed, it will not require as many 
coats as on new work. 

For flatting work neither benzine nor turpentine 
substitutes is anywhere near being as good as pure 
gum spirits of turpentine. Nor is wood turpentine, 
extracted from stumps and hard pine waste, as good. 
In fact, benzine will evaporate and leave nothing of 
itself behind. Turpentine also evaporates, but not en- 
tirely, for it leaves a gummy residue which serves the 
purpose of flatting. As regards the action of benzine 
we will have something to say in another part of this 
work. It certainly makes a paint softer, which condi- 
tion the paint retains to some extent after drying. 

The action of benzine on inside white paint is to turn 
it yellow, while pure turpentine will bleach it. This 
was discovered in an oilcloth factory, when the cloth 
on which was used benzine paint yellowed in spite of all 
that could be done to prevent it, for the cause was not 
known. Finally it was suspected that the benzine was 
at the bottom of the trouble, and thenceforth none was 
used, and the trouble ceased. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 




FLAT FINISHES 

irst-class Interior Flat Work. — The fol- 
lowing method is given by one of our most 
expert painters : For a good job of flat work 
inside, prime with white lead thinned with 
two-thirds raw oil and one-third turpentine 
and a little japan drier. Mix the second coat, after 
sandpapering smooth and puttying up holes with white 
lead putty, white lead thinned with equal parts of oil 
and turpentine. Use nothing coarser than No. i 
paper for the sanding off. For third coat, sandpaper 
with No. 2 paper, dust off and coat with white lead and 
thin with turpentine, adding a little white japan. 
Fourth coat, French process zinc in oil thinned with 
turpentine, with white japan dryers. Fifth and last 
coat may be made from French process American zinc 
ground in damar varnish, reduced with turpentine, add- 
ing white japan dryers. 

Drawn Flatting. — The oil flat colors are produced 
in various ways, one of the oldest known methods be- 
ing to withdraw the oil from keg lead by repeated 
washings with turpentine; the keg lead is broken up 
with turpentine, the pigment allowed to settle, the oily 
liquid poured off, the paste again treated in the same 
manner, and finally thinned to brush consistency with 
more turpentine. The degree of flatness regulated by 
the number of washings, consequently it was possible 
to obtain an "egg-shell" or "dead flat" finish. 

The more modern method, applicable to all colors, 
consists in grinding the pigment in a mixture of oil 
japan and turpentine, thinning with turpentine and 



8 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

adding just enough "flat" varnish to make the paint 
level out properly. 

If "half-and-half" is required, then equal parts of 
linseed oil and turpentine should be mixed in a can and 
the paint thinned with it in the preceding manner. If 
a "flat ground" is required simply thin the paint with 
pure turpentine. In this case, however, about one and 
one-half ounces of driers will be found sufficient for 
each pound of paint mixed. 

For dead flat effects, follow the above method, using 
turpentine instead of linseed oil. Allow the paint to 
stand over night and skim off the oil which rises to the 
top. In some special cases it may be found desirable 
to pour off all the liquid, again mix thoroughly with 
fresh turpentine and let stand and skim off as before. 

Flat spirit colors are made by grinding the pigment 
in a thin shellac, mastic, or sandarach varnish contain- 
ing a small quantity of castor oil. The main object of 
this kind of paint is that it can only be thinned with de- 
natured alcohol or similar spirit. The finish, how- 
ever, is very beautiful, and is far more durable than 
might be expected. 

Flat japan colors are a simple proposition, the pig- 
ments ground in japan being thinned to brush consist- 
ency by mixing with turpentine. These colors, how- 
ever, are not much in favor, as they have a peculiar 
flatness and lack of durability. 

The flat varnish colors are made by grinding a suita- 
ble pigment in a mixture of "flat varnish," oil and tur- 
pentine; they are not exactly "dead flat," but dry down 
to an ivory-like, or egg-shell finish. 

Flat wall finishes are in direct contrast to the enam- 
els, and are even more complex in composition, as they 
may embrace varnish, oil, japan, spirit, and water 
colors. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 9 

You cannot do a satisfactory job of flatting unless 
you stop all suction in the plaster. 

The walls and ceiling will require, at least, three or 
four coats of oil paint before flatting. The number of 
undercoats depends upon the porosity of the plaster. 

The last coat before flatting ought to dry glossy, 
without any sunken places where suction has not been 
stopped, and should not stand too long, nor dry too 
hard, before flatting. 

There are many ways of mixing flatting, there are 
also many good flat paints, ready mixed, on the market, 

Some painters mix flatting in this way : Take white 
lead or colors ground in oil as required, thin down to 
consistency of thick cream with turpentine only. 

Do not add any oil, there is enough oil in the ground 
oil colors to bind it. To stop the turps from evaporat- 
ing too quickly while applying the flatting, stir a tea- 
cupful of water into a can of flatting. It is better to 
mix the turps and water together first. You will find 
this mixture works cool (no driers required). Another 
way to mix flatting is to mix your colors ground in oil 
with turps as before, then add about a pint of raw lin- 
seed oil (not boiled oil) to a gallon of flatting, then add 
two or three handfuls of whiting and beat all up to- 
gether well and strain. The whiting will absorb the 
oil and the paint will dry flat, if enough whiting has 
been added. ( No driers required. ) 

Do not attempt to apply flatting as you would apply 
paint. 

The proper way to apply flatting is to take a 4-inch 
flat brush and apply a full coat quickly, with as little 
effort as possible to cover the surface, then stipple it. 

Do not try to spread the flatting even or lay it off, 
the stippler will do all that. 



10 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

When using the stippler, don't pound it. Use it 
gently 

In doing any job of flatting you must work very 
quickly. 

Don't try to use benzine instead of turps. 

Benzine or gasoline are too greasy and will dry 
streaky. 

Don't use dry colors, although a little will not hurt. 

Don't miss any stippling, it will show. 

Don't allow the edge of a stretch to get set. 

Don't stipple in the same place twice. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER H 




ENAMEL PAINTING 

HE term enamel was formerly applied to all 
paints which dried with a brilliant luster and 
a hard, shell-like, non-porous surface. Re- 
cently, however, a distinction has been made, 
between the true enamels and the so-called 
"varnish colors." 

As a rule, enamels are made by grinding a pig- 
ment in an enamel varnish and then reducing this 
paste to a brush consistency, with more varnish and 
possibly a small quantity of thinner. 

The pigment generally used for white enamels is 
"Green Seal" zinc oxide, but any other brand of pure 
oxide will answer fully as well, providing the color is 
satisfactory. The tinted enamels are produced by add- 
ing a small quantity of any desired color to the white 
enamel; the tinting colors usually being ground in 
equal parts of bleached oil and white grinding japan. 

The varnishes most suitable for enamels are damar 
and white copal, the former being used for special 
white enamels and the latter for hard, tough enamels. 

Some of the cheaper grades are adulterated with W. 
W. rosin. The Batavia gum produces the whitest ox 
palest varnish. 

Zinc sulphate or zinc resinate is occasionally added 
to harden the damar, and a very small quantity of alco- 
hol is often introduced to clear up the milky or cloudy 
effect sometimes obtained in such varnishes. 

White enamel containing oil or colored resin will 
eventually turn yellow when excluded from the light, 
consequently white enamels designed for the interiors 



12 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

of refrigerators, closets, etc., must be made with 
damar, the best and palest Batavia gum being used for 
this purpose. 

The damar gum, after being hardened by a special 
treatment, is dissolved in pure spirits of turpentine, the 
ratio of the "cut" (solution) varying from 6 to 10 
pounds of gum to the gallon of turpentine. Wood or 
stump turpentine cannot be used for this purpose on 
account of its turning yellow in the dark. Many cheap 
white and tinted enamels, however, contain wood tur- 
pentine, and, unless the odor has been masked with oil 
of mirbane, or some similar scent, its presence may be 
detected by the smell. 

Acetone, benzol and benzine are also occasionally 
used in enamels, either as a solvent for the gum or as a 
thinner, but unlike wood turpentine and rosin spirit, 
they impart no color. 

When an enamel paste is made by grinding zinc ox- 
ide in an enamel varnish, and this paste is further di- 
luted with varnish to obtain an enamel of proper brush 
consistency, it will be found that a small quantity of 
thinner will have to be added in order to make it level 
out. 

Turpentine, on account of its flowing property, is 
the best thinner, but unfortunately it has a tendency 
to flat the enamel, consequently it is customary to use 
a mixture consisting of equal parts of turpentine and 
benzine. 

Benzine has no flatting property, but owing to damar 
and copal being difficult to dissolve in this liquid, it 
cannot be used in excess. 

In thinning damar, enamel or any other short-oil 
varnish with benzine add the liquid slowly, a little at 
a time, and stir continually until thoroughly mixed. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 13 

Refrigerator enamel, made from hardened damar, 
and containing no oil or colored resin, is the whitest 
and most lustrous of all the enamels, and on account of 
its not turning yellow in the dark is used, exclusively 
for the interiors of refrigerators, cabinets, linen 
chests, deposit boxes, etc. It is extremely hard, but 
not very elastic; consequently a non-absorbent primer 
must be used as an under coat. 

Superior results are obtained by baking, a bake of 
four to six hours at a temperature of 180 deg., F., 
producing an extraordinary hard, tough finish. 

Polishing enamel differs from the '•refrigerator," in 
that it contains a colored resin, i. c, white copal and 
some refined oil. This enamel is generally quick dry- 
ing and must harden in twenty-four to forty-eight 
hours so as to be sanded or rubbed down with pumice. 

An extra fine job may be produced by giving the 
work a coat of non-absorbent primer, two coats of pol- 
ishing enamel, rubbing or sanding, and finishing with a 
coat of universal, exterior or marine enamel. 

Exterior enamel is intended only for work exposed 
to the weather. On account of it being made from 
slow-drying, pale finishing varnish it is seldom used 
for interior work, and will not answer at all for work 
excluded from the light, as it soon turns yellow in the 
dark. 

Its chief use is for store fronts, yachts, camp furni- 
ture, etc. 

Marine enamel, as the name implies, is made to 
withstand water, and is especially suitable for bath 
tubs, sinks, water pails, etc. 

Cold and hot water have no effect on this material 
when dry, and if the enamel is baked it will stand sub- 
mersion in fresh or salt water for months without soft- 
ening. Enamel to withstand the effect of water must 



14 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

be made from a special high-grade varnish and con- 
tain little or no resin. 

Satin finish is a peculiar enamel which dries with a 
satin-like surface, resembling polished ivory. In time 
it becomes as hard as ivory and may be used either as 
an exterior or an interior enamel. 

This material is a recent production and was put on 
the market as a flat baking enamel. It is made by 
grinding zinc oxide in a lustrous varnish. 

Cheap enamels are generally made with gloss oil or 
cheap resin varnishes ; they work freely under the 
brush, level out perfectly and have a bright luster, but 
are not durable. If the dry surface of such an enamel 
be rubbed with the fingers for a few minutes the gloss 
is removed and the resin is reduced to a fine powder, 
leaving the surface flat and smooth. An intermediate 
grade of cheap enamel is made by mixing just enough 
hard gum varnish with the resin stock to prevent this 
pulverent action. 

The manufacturer of enamels generally sells a "thin- 
ner" for reducing the goods, the object being to retain 
the luster when the thickened enamel is again reduced 
to a brush consistency. 

These thinners are simply a mixture of turpentine 
and benzine, benzol, toluol, with just enough damar or 
white copal varnish to prevent flatting. 

The thinner of a flexible enamel differs only from 
the above containing a linoleate in place of varnish. 

The "flatting" of an enamel is due either to an ab- 
sorbent under coat or to the presence of an excess of 
thinner. 

The success of an enamel depends to a great extent 
upon the primer or under coat. A porous, i. e., an 
absorbent, under coat takes up the varnish in an enamel 
in the same way that a partially dried under coat 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 15 

allows the finishing coat of varnish to sink into it dur- 
ing the process of drying ; consequently it is obvious 
that the beautiful luster or high gloss possessed by the 
enamels can only be retained by means of a perfectly 
dry and non-absorbent under coat. 

This is not only true of enamels, but also of all var- 
nish colors, lacquers, etc. 

It is impossible to turn out a first-class job by apply- 
ing a quick-drying enamel over a slow-drying or elastic 
under coat, as the enamel is sure to crack. 

Where an elastic, slow-drying, durable primer is 
used plenty of time must be given to dry before put- 
ting on the second coat. As a rule each coat, from the 
prime up, should be a little harder than the succeeding 
coat in order to effect the contraction due to drying, 
and it is essential that the coat of paint next to the en- 
amel be of a non-absorbent nature, otherwise the final 
coat of enamel will not have the desired "fullness" and 
luster. 

Non-absorbent primers and second-coat paints are 
made by combining a little varnish and a very small 
quantity of drier with the oil ; oil alone requires months 
of drying before it becomes non-ab.-orbent. 

Enamels are used on both metal and wood, the only 
difference in treatment being the under coats. 

If the metal is tin, the grease, oil, resin, etc., must be 
removed with benzine or with a weak solution of sal 
soda (sodium carbonate) ; if the metal be zinc, then a 
wash with very dilute hydrochloric acid is needed to 
make the primer adhere ; iron and steel require the re- 
moval of scale and rust previous to painting. Scale 
is removed by the sand-blast or by immersing the steel 
in "pickle." consisting of one part of oil of vitriol (sul- 
phuric acid) and nineteen parts of water for about 
forty minutes ; the adhering acid and scale are washed 



16 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

off with water, the metal then rinsed in a weak alkali 
solution (sal soda in lime water), again washed with 
clear water, dried and then painted. Rust may be re- 
moved by means of the sand-blast, with a wire brush, 
or with sandpaper. The clean metal, after being 
primed, may be left to air-dry or may be baked ; in the 
case of steel it is baked from two to four hours at a 
temperature of 220 to 240 deg., F., the result being a 
tenacious and very hard under coat. The second coat, 
if the work is to be white or light colored, may consist 
of a lead and zinc pigment with oil, turpentine, a small 
amount of varnish and sufficient drier to make the 
paint dry over night if the work is to be air-dried. 

If the work is to be baked, the drier may be omitted 
and the paint is then given a two to four hour bake at 
about 180 deg., F. The finishing coat of enamel is 
generally baked two to four hours at a temperature of 
160 deg., F. 

Pale blue, light gray, pink, and similar delicate col- 
ored enamels are seldom baked at a higher tempera- 
ture than 140 degrees to 150 degrees, F. 

Baked enamel ware has a better luster, is much 
harder and far more durable than that finished with the 
same enamel and air-dried. 

Small wooden articles, like tea trays, handles, etc., 
are often enameled by means of the baking process, 
but care must be taken that the temperature does not 
exceed 200 degrees, F., as the moisture is dried out at 
200 degrees to 220 degrees, F., and the enamel ruined 
by air bubbles. 

Wood-work, as a rule, is most frequently finished 
with air-dying enamel, and the method of treatment 
differs with the workman — some painters give a first 
coat of thin shellac, or a coat of varnish surfacer, fol- 
lowed with a second coat of flat lead and zinc, and a 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 17 

final coat of high gloss enamel ; others prefer to start 
with an oil paint primer, allow plenty of time for dry- 
ing, then follow with a flat lead or lead and zinc second 
coat, after this is dry, several coats of polishing en- 
amel are applied and rubbed down to a proper sur- 
face, the final coat of enamel being laid on this ivory- 
like surface. The final coat may be left in the "gloss," 
may be "flatted" by rubbing, or may be brought back 
to a high luster again by polishing. 

From the above it will be noted that the cost of an 
enamel finish will depend upon the labor and the num- 
ber of coats applied. 

For a quick job it is better to give the bare wood one 
or more coats of "surfacer," sand to a proper surface, 
apply a flat lead coat, follow with one coat of polishing" 
enamel, rub down, and apply a coat of finishing en- 
amel. 

In working enamels it will very often be found that 
on moist or muggy days the enamel is inclined to "pit" 
or to "frill," especially if the enamel contains damar 
varnish ; this defect is invariably due to water. Damar 
varnish is cut cold in turpentine, and, as turpentine fre- 
quently contains more or less water, it often happens 
that the enamel is contaminated with the moisture. 

By placing three or four sheets of gelatine in the 
enamel and leaving over night every trace of water will 
be removed by the gelatine absorbing the moisture. 
Gelatine is insoluble in oil, turpentine, benzine, and 
varnish, consequently will not affect the enamel. — 
Scott. 

A First=Class Enamel Finish 

See that all wood-work is well smoothed and with- 
out defects. Then prime with lead, adding a small 
quantity of ochre to slightly color same, reducing into 



18 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

proper consistency with one-third raw linseed oil and 
two-thirds spirits of turpentine, with sufficient drier. 

Second coat — RoughstufT the entire surface, filling 
and smoothing" all defects in wood-work and rub down 
to an even and smooth surface. 

Third coat — White lead mixed with three-fourths 
turpentine and one-fourth boiled linseed oil. 

Fourth coat — While lead mixed with five-sixths tur- 
pentine and one-sixth white varnish. 

Fifth coat — -half-and-half white lead and "Grern 
Seal'' French zinc mixed with three-fourths turpentine 
and one-fourth white enamel varnish. 

Sixth coat — Zinc as above mixed with three-fourths 
turpentine and one-fourth enamel varnish. 

Seventh coat — All French zinc mixed with three- 
fourths enamel varnish and one-fourth turpentine. 

Eighth coat — Enamel varnish with zinc sufficient to 
color the varnish and a very small quantity of turpen- 
tine to make enamel work freely. Sandpaper between 
each coat, to be done with very fine sandpaper or hair 
cloth. The first four coats to stand not less than three 
days between coats and the last four coats to stand not 
less than six days between each coat. All to be rub- 
bed with pumice stone and water to a dull finish, and if 
a high polish should be wanted, polish with rotten stone 
and water after pumice stoning. 

If wood-work should be of pine or any other sappy 
wood, give it a very thin coat of grain alcohol shellac 
after first coat. 

An expert painter says a strictly first-class job of en- 
amel white cannot be done with less than eleven coats, 
and he never would bid on work requiring less than 
nine coats. His last coating was finishing varnish, 
which was left in its gloss or polished to a velvet or 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 19 

satin finish, as required. But it is rarer that more 
than five coats are required in specifications for new- 
work, and less for old work. Some apply the shellac 
to the bare wood, the priming" on this. 

Another expert gives this as his method : Prime with 
white lead thinned with 3 parts raw oil and 1 part tur- 
pentine. The following three coats are made from 
zinc white in oil and from which the oil has been 
drawn by thinning" with turpentine and allowed to set- 
tle, drawing off the liquid and repeating" until all oil 
practically has been drawn from the zinc. The zinc 
is then mixed with damar varnish, which serves as a 
binder. If the finish is to be in any tint or color he 
makes the first zinc coat several shades deeper than the 
finish is to be, making- each successive coat lighter in 
shade. Fifth coat is of color-and-varnish. For a 
white finish zinc white is used, mixed with a high grade 
white varnish, which has been made for such work. 
If to be tinted, then the zinc should be tinted before 
adding the varnish. The sixth coat is of this varnish, 
tinted with enough color to tint it. The work is then 
ready for the rubbing with pulverized pumice stone and 
water, followed with rubbing with powdered rotten- 
stone and water. This for an egg-shell gloss. Fur- 
ther rubbing with rottenstone and sweet oil will give a 
polish. This process gives a very fine and durable 
finish. 



Enamel Finish on Cypress. — Apply a coat of hot 
glue size, after which a priming coat of white lead 
thinned with three parts oil and one part turpentine, 
with a little driers. If the wood is very dark, as some 
cypress is, then add a little black to the priming. When 
quite dry finish up as directed for enamel painting. 
Where a dead finish is desired it is usual to apply the 



20 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

glue size to the bare wood, but when the finish is to be 
a gloss then glue size on the priming coat. This latter 
glue size should be made from white glue with some 
dry zinc white added, and be made rather thick and 
applied hot ; when dry sandpaper smooth. 

Notes on Enamel Paints 

Some use crude oil when rubbing enamel to a polish, 
but it is apt to soften the varnish and soil the work. 

To enamel over old paint it is best to remove the 
last coat of old paint, if not the whole coating. 

Enamel paint is better for having some age before 
being used; a fresh-made enamel paint is apt to work 
rather thin, show brush marks and not flat out well. 
But if kept too long it is apt to be too thick and work 
ropy. In this case try immersing the can of enamel 
paint in warm water before using. If it has to be 
thinned, then use a mixing varnish, supplied by the 
maker of the paint. 

The less oil in the undercoats the less the danger of 
yellowing of the finish. 

Enamel paint naturally works rather hard under the 
brush, owing to the varnish in it. 

Quick-drying enamel paint works hard and does not 
wear well. It is impossible to produce a quick-drying 
enamel that will prove durable. 

A quick-drying enamel paint should have pigments 
ground in turpentine and thinned with gold size, and 
may be safely used after the priming coat, on new 
wood, or for all coats on metal. But for old painted 
work such an enamel paint will be apt to crack. On 
such work the egg-shell ground is best. 

An enamel paint that is to be exposed to the weather 
must dry rather quick, give a hard surface, yet be elas- 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 21 

tic enough to contract and expand with the weather 
without cracking. The enamelled surface must be 
quite smooth and glossy. Exterior enamel paints dry 
somewhat slower than interior enamels, since a more 
oily varnish is used, in order to make it more elastic, 
and here is where the trouble comes in making the 
right enamel, it must be elastic yet not too oily, for in 
the latter case it would remain soft. The other ex- 
treme will cause the enamel to crack and to leave the 
surface it is applied to. 

The addition of a tablespoonful of coal oil to the 
gallon of enamel paint is said to make it work easier 
under the brush, without injuring its luster. 

Or thin out with benzine, which will allow of easy 
spreading and not injure the gloss, as the benzine evap- 
orates and leaves a thin coating of the original enamel. 
This method avoids laps in the paint, too. 

Camphorated turpentine, made by dissolving two 
ounces of gum camphor in one gallon of turpentine, is 
an improver, as given in the following formula : 

FORMULA FOR WHITE ENAMEL. 

Florence zinc white 5 lbs. 

White damar varnish I gal. 

Thin with 

White enamel varnish I gal. 

Camphorated turpentine I pint. 




22 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



PAINTING SMOOTH OR HARD PLASTER WALLS 

ew Walls. — New plaster walls contain excess 
of lime, the white coating consisting of plas- 
ter of Paris, a small proportion, and fresh 
slaked lime. This excess of caustic lime 
will injure any oil paint placed directly upon 
it unless the surface has been allowed to stand un- 
treated for two or three years. Even then it is not 
safe. This lime may be neutralized by a size contain- 
ing a gill of muriatic or hydrochloric acid to the bucket 
of water. The acid forms with the lime hydrochloric 
acid gas, which evaporates, leaving on the surface of 
the plaster sodium hydrogen sulphate, which may 
easily be removed by means of clear water. 

Having "killed" the free lime, the next step is to stop 
all suction, and by this we do not mean the making of a 
perfectly solid surface, for a little porosity is desirable, 
enabling the paint to secure a good hold on the plaster. 
W. Fourniss, an expert English painter, says that "for 
paint there should be absolutely no suction," with 
which statement I do not agree, for the reason given. 
To stop, or stop to a desirable degree, this suction we 
may use glue size, provided there is absolutely no 
dampness in the wall or surroundings. In case of 
dampness it will be best to size with a thin lead paint, 
thinning with raw oil and a little turpentine, to assist 
penetration. This coat may be tinted to agree with the 
color of the coats that are to follow. Use not above 
five pounds of white lead to the gallon of thinners, and 
brush the paint well into the plaster. If the weather 
or room is a little cold, warm up the priming coat, be- 
fore adding the turpentine. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 23 

Some painters apply a coat of glue size after the 
priming coat is dry, using good white glue, a pound to 
the gallon of water, which would be a pretty strong 
glue size. The argument is, that this will save one 
coat of oil paint, and stop all remaining suction. We 
do not recommend the practice, excepting upon the 
score of saving, when it is a low-price job. For a 
strictly first-class job use oil or oil and turpentine paint 
all the way through. The glue size, it may be added, 
is to be applied quite warm. Upon it you may apply 
a coat of oil paint, mixed rather stout, and be well 
brushed out. Thin it with a mixture of three parts 
raw oil and one part turpentine. If the size has been 
omitted, then the coat on the priming coat will have to 
be mostly oil and not too stout, for it will have to 
enter the surface to a certain degree, saying that the 
priming coat did not fill up the pores perfectly. The 
third coat should be of white lead thinned with turpen- 
tine, and no oil. Mix it moderately stout, so that it 
will cover well. This assuming the finishing is to be 
flat. 

In hot weather the flat paint is apt to work hard 
under the brush, in which case add a little raw oil. 

For an egg-shell gloss finish thin up the last coat 
with a mixture of one part raw oil and three parts tur- 
pentine. 

For a full gloss finish bring the under coats up with 
plenty of turpentine in them and the last coat should be 
mixed in all oil, a full gloss being best attained when 
the surface under it is flat. Boiled oil will give a bet- 
ter gloss than the raw oil. Never apply an oil finish on 
an oil coat if you desire a full gloss. 

If the last coat is to be stippled, proceed as directed 
elsewhere for that work. 



24 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

Where color is used, color each coat a little different, 
so that, for instance, if you make a coat very light 
gray, you will easily perceive where any miss may be 
made. 

A master painter who did the painting on the walls 
of a state capital building, says white lead should not 
be used for the priming coat. He applied the first two 
coats from a French zinc ground in poppy oil. 

An expert is quoted as saying: "If I were given a 
carte blanche order for the painting of plastered walls, 
I would first have the walls well glued, sized and cov- 
ered with muslin or a light canvas, allowing about 24 
hours for drying, or until the dampness is thoroughly 
dried out. For the first coat I would use pure white 
lead and oil, with enough japan drier to set it well. 
This coat should be rather thin. I would follow this 
with two coats of lead, oil and turpentine, using almost 
one-third turpentine. If weather conditions are good 
allow 24 hours, as much depends upon the drying of 
the various coats of paint. Then comes the fourth or 
final coat, which should be mixed with white lead and 
turpentine, using a small amount of drier. This final 
coat should be stippled to a nice even finish, and some- 
times a stippler is used on the third as well as the final 
coat, as this does away with all brush marks, and leaves 
a nice flat-finished wall. If a clear white is required, 
use zinc in place of white lead for the last coat. This, 
if handled by experienced men, should make a first- 
class piece of work, and being covered with muslin, 
there will be no danger of the plaster cracking." 

To paint a wall pure white is not usually thought to 
be very feasible, but it can be done by the following 
method. It will be white and stay white, bearing wash- 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 25 

ing, too, without any bad results : Take zinc white 
ground in oil, and beat it up to a paste with benzine, 
then set it aside until the oil and benzine comes to the 
top ; pour off this liquid, and mix up the zinc with tur- 
pentine, adding a little varnish to bind the paint. For 
the second coat wash the zinc twice with benzine and 
then thin up with turpentine only. Zinc in oil will 
turn yellow, the same as white lead does, but by draw- 
ing off the oil you get a whiter job, and one that is 
more permanent than either lead or zinc would be if 
oil is allowed to remain in it. For driers use white 
japan. Those who have tried it say that a better flat- 
ting can be had by adding a little water to the paint, 
stirring it in thoroughly. It is better to add the 
water to the white lead before beating it up, just as it 
comes from the keg. This can be done by adding the 
clear water very gradually, until it combines with the 
lead. Then add any desired tinters and thin out with 
turpentine, adding a small quantity of driers. 

It is claimed that this water will in no wise injure the 
paint or the finish, evaporating after a while. 

"If a wall is to be finished in stipple, mix the last 
coat half oil and half turps, rather thick and add a lit- 
tle japan. To stipple, strike the paint evenly and 
continuously with the square end of a large brush, 
made for the purpose ; a new, clean duster will do. 
Let the stippler follow the painter. 

"Use boiled oil in all coats except priming coat. 
Have only enough difference in the color of the dif- 
ferent coats so you can see where you have painted, 
as it will help you, especially in rooms where the 
light is poor. 

"It is poor policy to paint a plastered wall until it has 
had plenty of time to thoroughly dry out. If, how- 



26 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

ever, the painting must be done before the lime has be- 
come neutralized, g'ive it a coat of vinegar and let it 
stand a day or so before you put on the priming coat." 
— Carter Times. 

On some walls a priming composed of equal parts of 
red and white lead, thinned with boiled oil, and made 
quite thin, will do best, as it will enter the pores of the 
plaster and give a good firm foundation for the paint- 
ing. It is hardly necessary to add that it should be 
rubbed in well, for this is necessary in almost every 
kind of painting. 

"The best, but more expensive way of preparing a 
wall for oil is to have the wall covered with muslin, 
or, still better, prepared canvas. In hanging canvas 
many precautions must be observed, namely, that no 
blisters remain, no ridges from paste being spread un- 
evenly, and most of all, no laps. Cut your canvas at 
all corners and angles and join up very closely in these 
places. For a straight run keep the edges about one- 
sixteenth of an inch apart; when dry, fill up all seams, 
bad corners and angles with a composition, consisting 
of half turpentine and half interior varnish. Add 
whiting as a body until it forms a heavy, soft putty, 
using a putty knife or scraper to fill such places. This 
mixture will dry in ten to fifteen minutes. Then go 
ahead using oil color, as described above, next day." — 
Anon. 

"Varnish, hard oils, liquid fillers, etc., are frequently 
used as sizes where walls are to be painted. These 
stop suction, dry quickly and at the same time save 
one or more coats, but cannot be recommended on 
good jobs for this reason — they dry too fast, have not 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 27 

enough oil to penetrate the plaster, and in some in- 
stances give cause for peeling and cracking. 

The cause of peeling and cracking, according to my 
knowledge and experience, is this: In some instances 
this size will dry too fast, especially on hot days, and 
the liquid that is used for thinning is evaporated and 
the varnish is dry before it has a chance to penetrate 
the plaster sufficiently to get a good hold. It merely 
remains on the surface, and in order to get good results 
the material applied should be where it does good." 

"When I do work of this kind I always use oil paint 
all the way through. For the first coat I use whatever 
old paint I have in the shop, using turpentine for thin- 
ning; no driers, having paint rather thin, allowing 
same plenty of time for drying. For the second and 
following coats of paint use two-thirds oil and one- 
third turpentine, and if a flat or dead finish is wanted 
the coat previous to the final one should be in gloss fin- 
ish, and if a gloss finish is wanted a flat coat is used.*' 
— Anon. 

"To begin with hard plastered walls, you must ex- 
amine the plaster, clean the same from all blemishes, 
give it a thin coat of oil paint, not too fat ; if oil paint 
is used, thin well with turpentine ; after applying, leave 
stand two days ; this will show fine checks. Give the 
same a light coat of glue size, let stand until next day ; 
then give it one coat of lead, oil and turpentine, prop- 
erly mixed ; stipple lightly, let stand twenty-four hours, 
then give it another coat to any finish that you may de- 
sire, such as gloss, semi-gloss, egg-shell or flat finish. 
For egg-shell, use pure lead, two parts of linseed oil, 
six parts turpentine and a little drier, then stipple. 

For flat finish, use pure lead and turpentine and stip- 
ple ; if dead flat is wanted, add a handful of dental plas- 



28 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

ter. This will absorb all the oil and make it dead flat. 
Never use glue size first on plaster, for this is apt to 
peel, but by first painting the wall one coat of oil paint, 
then a coat of glue size, this can never peel and will 
stop the suction of the little check cracks." — Anon. 

Painting Over Patent Plaster. — The composi- 
tion of what we term patent plaster is not generally- 
known to the trade, nor can we give its secret of manu- 
facture, but we do know that it is a very treacherous 
material to paint over. Some say it contains a very 
strong acid, and that it has been known to eat through 
metal lathing. If this be true, it is no wonder paint 
finds it antagonistic. Yet it has been found that 
where such a surface as patent plaster has remained 
unpainted or unpapered for a year or two there was 
no difficulty in getting a good finish. 

Inquiry of several paint makers as to the best means 
for neutralizing the antagonistic properties of patent 
plaster resulted in the obtaining from the chemist of 
one concern the following test for ascertaining the 
presence of an acid. It is likely that the acid in the 
plaster is citric, the purpose of which is to retard the 
setting of the plaster. Here is the test : 

Make a solution of one dram of phenolphthalene to 
one pint of fifty per cent, grain alcohol, then add a 
pinch of concentrated lye. This solution will be a 
wine color, and when applied upon the wall in small 
patches with a camel's hair brush will turn white di- 
rectly if acid is present. In order to prevent the ac- 
tion of this acid upon colors in kalsomine, paints, wall 
paper or textiles, apply two coats of the following solu- 
tion : Eight parts of water to one part of strong am- 
monia, the second coat not to be applied before the 
first is thoroug-hly dry. When the second coat is dry, 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 29 

apply the size. When ceiling varnish is used it should 
be reduced one-half with turpentine or benzine, with 
the addition of enough plaster paris to give the walls a 
tooth. 

"The question sometimes arises as to how best to 
finish a newly plastered wall that is to be painted so 
that the color may remain permanent. If the painter 
can control the plasterer, he should see that either 
Keen's or Parian cement is used for the final coat, and 
should arrange to apply his first coat of paint imme- 
diately after the plaster is in a condition to permit of 
the brush being drawn across it. The theory is that 
the paint combines with the plaster while it is setting 
and, in this way, forms a hard foundation for the sub- 
sequent coats of oil paint. The same result is by no 
means produced, if the paint is applied even a day or 
two after. It must be put on while the plaster is 
practically wet. Very little oil is required in this first 
coat, which should dry practically without gloss ; two, 
three or four coats of oil paint should then be put on 
in the usual way. The same preparatory work will 
answer for a first-class job of distempering" — Anon. 

Now, as regards the cracking of the paint and plas- 
ter, if the plaster has been properly troweled, it will 
not show the so-called fire-crack. Moreover, uneven 
troweling causes uneven suction, and for that reason 
paint never dries out uniformly until one or more 
coats have been applied to overcome all suction, or the 
walls sized. 

Often the paint is applied before the plaster is prop- 
erly dried out, and the moisture in attempting to escape 
must necessarily force the paint off the walls, because 
the moisture cannot get through the paint. 



30 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

Very often the plaster is put directly on the brick 
walls or on wire lath, which lays directly against the 
brick, stone or cement which compose the wall ; in 
either case, there being no air space between the wall 
and the plaster, any saltpeter in the bricks, stone or 
cement will feed out through the plaster, and every 
painter knows what saltpeter means. Saltpeter never 
exists in plaster. It can only come through the plas- 
ter in some such way as shown. Saltpeter is the bane 
of painters. It is really not saltpeter at all, but sulph- 
ate of soda, or epsom salts, and works its way through 
to the surface of whatever porous material it may be 
present in, and at the surface it loses its moisture, be- 
comes a powder and discolors the paint, eventually 
causing the same to crack and peel off. 

No efficient remedy has yet been found to overcome 
the effect of saltpeter. The only way its presence in 
the plastered walls could be prevented is in the con- 
struction of the walls themselves, by leaving sufficient 
space between the plaster and the bricks, etc., so the 
saltpeter could find a vent without going through the 
plaster. So far no treatment of the saltpeter itself has 
been found effective. 

Painting Old Hard-Finished Walls. — Treat old 
walls the same as new ones, if the walls have never 
been painted before. If the walls have been painted 
the most difficult and tedious task is the filling of 
cracks and holes. These cracks should always be 
opened down to the lath, soaked with water and filled 
with plaster of paris, a little above the wall. When 
dry, sandpaper down until they are flush with the wall. 
Then build up these patches with paint until they have 
the same body as the old wall, color to be about the 
same shade as old color on wall ; then paint your wall 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 31 

all over two or three coats, as required, treating same 
according to its finish, either gloss or flat. 

Suppose the wall has been painted before and the old 
paint is peeling off in blotches. Scrape off all the loose 
paint, sandpaper the wall, and give same one coat of 
paint thinned mostly with turpentine, using a little 
drier. When dry, make a mixture of one-half tur- 
pentine and one-half rubbing varnish, adding enough 
whiting to make it the consistency of soft putty, and 
fill the blotches with this mixture, using a putty knife 
or scraper to do so. 

A second coat of this material may be required, then 
sandpaper and build up these blotches with paint until 
the surface is the same as the old wall. 

Here is another mixture : Make an ordinary paper- 
hanger's paste, using wheat flour. When cold, add 
whiting until it is heavy as keg lead ; run through a 
paint mill, or if no paint mill is at hand, work same 
with a spatula or scraper, until it is free from lumps ; 
then make another batter of oil, with a little drier add- 
ed. Mix same with whiting until it g"ets like heavy 
gravy, then run through mill. Mix these two batters 
together in equal proportions. Apply this in the same 
manner as the former, also give the same treatment 
afterwards as recommended above. 

The last mentioned filler or roughstuff ( you may 
call it whatever you choose), can also be used for or- 
dinary work on any kind of wood, both inside and out. 

If paint is peeling off, or if blisters are present, I 
never use a paint burner, but always use the above- 
mentioned filler. It can be mixed in different ways 
for different purposes, but as I cannot describe this 
under the head of this paper, I will be glad to give you 
an explanation later on, both as to how to mix in dif- 



32 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

ferent proportions and for what purposes it may be 
used. 

Bathroom Walls. — New walls are treated the same 
as in other rooms, though some first size them with 
boiled oil or a thin drying paint, following with a coat 
of glue size. The object of this careful sizing is to fill 
up any soft or spongy spots, making a uniformly hard 
surface. Follow with two or more coats of oil paint. 

Oil paint or varnished surface is best for the bath- 
room, owing to the fact that water and soapsuds are 
apt to get on it not infrequently, and such a finish 
allows of easy cleaning. 

Old work should first be made clean,, with such sub- 
stances as soap or soap powder, or any not too strong 
a cleanser that will remove dirt and stain and leave a 
fit surface for paint. Following the cleaning, if the 
walls are very dirty, and particularly if soda has been 
used, wash off with clear water and do it before the 
soda water has dried. 

After the washing of the walls it is well to let 
them dry for at least twelve hours. When dry give 
them a thin coat of fresh slaked lime with a fairly 
good amount of alum mixed with it. 

The alum, to work properly, should be dissolved in 
hot water. Before applying the size coating, care 
should be taken not to allow it to come into contact 
with the lime wash until the lime wash is thoroughly 
dry, as the lime will immediately destroy the strength 
of the size. The size coating should be made of whit- 
ing and of a good glue size. If there are stains which 
are impossible to take out, a thin shellac varnish may 
be applied previous to putting on the finishing coats of 
paint. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 33 

Cleaning Walls. — Walls that have been painted 
can be cleaned, provided the paint has not begun to 
perish. In cleaning a painted wall it is best to have 
two men working together, one following the other. 
In this way there is not much risk of spotting or 
streaking. A stretch of three or four feet is as much 
as should be done at a time. First, dampen the wall 
with a sponge that has been saturated with clean water. 
Follow this with soap-suds from castile soap and warm 
water, and apply same with a calcimine brush, scrub- 
bing a little. When the dirt has been softened in this 
manner, scrub with a solution made by boiling the shav- 
ings of one pound of castile soap in a half gallon of 
water, stirring in two pounds of fine bolted whiting, 
and allow to cool. Dip a brush into this mixture and 
scrub, taking care not to scrub harder than is required 
to remove the dirt. Sponge off immediately with clean, 
soft water and wipe down with a wet chamois that has 
been wrung out. Care should be taken that too much 
water is not used on the wall. The sponge and cham- 
ois should be wrung out as often as possible and the 
water changed quite frequently. The work should be 
started at the bottom and continued towards the ceil- 
ing. The ceiling is then cleaned in a similar manner. 

For a dirty wall, before painting, apply a coating of 
raw starch water, which, when dry, may be brushed or 
wiped off. This is specially good for walls dirty with 
soft coal smoke. When the walls or ceilings are 
smoky, a little household ammonia added to the soap- 
suds will add to their efficiency in removing the dirt. 

For a greasy wall that is to be painted, scrub well 
with strong vinegar. A thin coating of fresh lime 
wash is good for a smoked wall. 

Wall Defects and Their Treatment. — Where 
plaster is placed directly on a brick wall and the latter 



34 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

is more or less damp, the alkali of the lime will come 
through and cause spotting The spots will in turn 
come through size and paint, and the only sure remedy- 
is to scrape down the spots to the plaster, and cut out 
bad spots clear to the bricks, then fill the parts with 
plaster of Paris, pressing it well into the depression 
and a little above the surrounding part. Over this 
may be applied hard white lead putty, merely glazing- 
it over, first, however, having sandpapered down the 
plaster level. The hard putty is made from white lead 
in oil, rubbing varnish and a little turpentine. When 
this putty coat has become hard sandpaper it. Then 
apply a priming coat of white lead made thin with raw 
oil three parts and turpentine one part, with a little 
driers. When dry apply a coat of glue size, and then 
the finishing coats of paint, whether oil or flat. 

So-called saltpeter spots on walls have been success- 
fully treated with coal oil or kerosene oil, and let the 
oil dry, as it will in process of time. Then apply a 
coat of flat paint. Then size with glue size, rather 
thin, which follow with another coat of flat paint. 

Some prefer lime and plaster of Paris putty to re- 
pair wall cracks with, and Keene's cement or Parian 
cement are good. But Keene's cement must be painted 
over within twelve hours of application. 

Where the ceiling and walls are to have two coats 
of paint, and the surface is full of small cracks and big, 
and where there are also uneven places, as so often oc- 
curs, try the French method. Mix dry white lead and 
coach japan to a stiff paste, and with this plaster over 
the parts needing it, using a broad knife and making 
the surface smooth and level. When dry, sandpaper 
smooth and level. This plaster will not absorb the 
paint any more than the rest of the wall. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 35 

The walls which for the first time are to receive 
their paint should have, for the first coat, boiled oil or a 
coat of drying paint, and then a thin coat of size. This 
will prevent the showing of any sponge spots that there 
might be in the wall. After this, one coat of paint 
may be applied, and then when this coat is dry we can 
apply our finish coat. 

. Spots of a brown color on walls plastered directly on 
the brickwork are sometimes due to dirty or sooty 
bricks — either old bricks from chimneys or bricks that 
have been directly exposed to the fire while being 
baked in the kiln. The only satisfactory way to cure 
spots due to this cause is to cut out the dirty bricks and 
replace them with clean ones. The writer has seen a 
spot from a sooty brick come through a four-inch mar- 
ble slab and permanently discolor it. 

Painting Over Calcimine. — If the calcimine coat- 
ing is in good condition it is safe to paint over it. Add 
plenty of turpentine to the first coat of paint, so that 
the paint will sink well into the calcimine and hold 
there. The calcimine does not require sizing before 
painting. If the calcimine is not in good condition it 
will be better to size before painting, using a size of 
cheap varnish reduced with benzine. Or with equal 
parts of oil, turpentine and japan. Or with gloss oil. 

Painting on Stucco. — For exterior stucco work, 
you first clean off the work, then prime the same with 
a paint made of equal parts of white lead, red lead, and 
boiled oil, all by weight. The second coat should be 
made from white lead, thinned with boiled oil, with 
stainers to make the color desired, and about half as 
much turpentine as oil. A third coat of this paint may 
be given, and for extra good work apply still another 



36 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

coat, only you will use more oil and less turps in the 
last coat. 

How to Avoid Laps In Flat Painting. — Where a 
sufficient number of hands are at work, dead flat paint- 
ing may easily be done, but otherwise there is danger 
of laps. To avoid this an expert advises the addition 
of a little varnish in the last coat, and have a man to 
follow after the brush with a stippler, so that laps will 
be impossible. 

Finishing a Plaster Wall In Flat Oil Paint. 
— An association of master painters adopted this as 
the best method for finishing a hard finish plaster wall 
in flat oil paint: Fill all cracks, then sandpaper. 
Prime with a paint made from 5 pounds white lead to 
a gallon of thinners, driers not being named. When 
dry, apply a coat of hot glue size, well rubbed in. 
Then coat with paint made from white lead of medium 
consistency, thinned with equal parts of oil and tur- 
pentine. Tint this coat to agree with what the finish 
is to be. Next coat, white lead tinted and thinned 
with \ oil and f turpentine, tinting it a little darker 
than finish is to be. This coat is also to be stippled. 
Then apply the final coat, made from % zinc white and 
\ white lead ; stipple this also. Lithopone may be used 
instead of lead and zinc for the last coat. While no 
mention is made of the driers in any of the coats, we 
may assume that some was used in all, though it is 
always best not to use much in the priming coat. 

Where au extra fine finish is desired, it is necessary 
to make a smooth and level surface. Apply a coat of 
whiting calcimine, rather heavy, and sandpaper down 
even and smooth. This will fill up cracks and all ir- 
regularities and make a good ground for a finish, espe- 
cially for gloss or enamel finish. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 37 



If you have a highly decorated wall and find it 
glossy in spots, give it a coat of starch, or the water 
that is pressed out of cottage cheese ; this will make all 
colors flat. 

Dead Flat Effect In Wall Painting. — A wall 
that is not very uniform and good may be painted and 
finished in oil color, showing many fine dead-flat 
cracks, but if a coat of starch is applied as a finish it 
will cause the entire surface to appear dead flat and 
uniform, no streaks or lines showing. This coating is 
to be stippled, which makes the effect still finer. Then 
whenever desired, this coating may be removed by 
washing, and another coat applied, and in this way 
the freshness of the original paint is retained indefi- 
nitely. 

Another way is to add a very small amount of bees- 
wax to the last coat of paint, melting it in the oil used 
in thinning, which will leave a very fine waxy, semi- 
dead finish. 

Buttermilk is another good preparation, though all 
particles of butter must first be removed from it. Skim 
milk is perhaps even better still. Sweet milk also 
answers. The buttermilk should be strained. These 
coatings may be applied by means of a calcimine 
brush. 

When using cornstarch for this purpose it is pre- 
pared just as for laundry purposes, and it must be stip- 
pled to get the best results. 

Painting Sand=finished Walls 

New Walls. — First, examine walls for cracks and 
other defects. Sand-finish walls vary from fair to 
bad, and hence must be prepared so as to form a solid 
surface, in all cases. Open up cracks and wet with 



38 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

water, then fill with a plaster of clean sand and plas- 
ter of Paris. Then trowel it down, smooth, using 
plenty of water and a cork trowel, if possible, other- 
wise a wooden one, or "float.'' The trowel will bring 
the sand to the surface, imitating a sand-finish. If 
the wall is very rough it will be best to go over it with 
coarse sandpaper or a brick, to knock off the roughest 
parts. 

The next step is to size the wall. Some use this 
size : Gloss oil two parts, benzine one part, adding 
plaster of Paris to form a suitable coating. This stops 
suction and fills the pores. 

If the walls are rough and full of hollow places, 
give same a coat of strong-sized calcimine, after 
which apply paint made of oil, turpentine and white 
lead. 

Some object to glue or similar sizes, saying that 
they do not give as great stability, and they use lead 
and oil for size, saying that a job built up from the 
sand-finish with lead and oil and necessary turpentine 
will have "life" and will last longer. 

Where the price is low it will be best to size and fill 
up the surface with calcimine, made with glue and 
whiting, plenty of glue, say an ounce to the pound of 
whiting, or even more than this, up to two ounces. 

After the wall has been properly sized and filled the 
finishing is the same as though working on wood. But 
owing to the roughish finish it is not feasible to get the 
same effect as on wood and smooth hard plaster, hence 
it will be well to remember this. 

Regarding style of finish, this may be plain or more 
or less fancy. You may finish in white or color or 
tint, and the last coat may be dead fiat, lead and tur- 
pentine, or full oil, or egg-shell gloss. If deep, rich 
colors are desired you may glaze on the proper ground 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 39 

color and have blended effect, mottle effect, clouded, 
leather, or fabric effect. 

Sooted or damp walls must have proper treatment, 
for which see under appropriate head. 



40 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



5 



FLAT WALL PAINT 

REPARING THE SURFACE. No question 

that has arisen in regard to the use of flat 
finishes has aroused more discussion than 
the treatment of the walls before applying 
the finish. It is pretty generally conceded 
that new walls should first have a priming coat, the 
vehicle of which is largely linseed oil, and most manu- 
facturers put out such an article for use as a primer, 
or give directions for its preparation. In the case of 
old walls previously painted, there is not such unanim- 
ity of opinion. The dangers that follow the bringing 
together of white lead and lithopone have been too 
much enlarged upon, and in some cases grossly exag- 
erated. There is no danger in applying lithopone over 
a dry coat of white lead, or vice versa, as far as any 
reaction between the two pigments is concerned. 
Some painters have even made outside paints in which 
the essential pigments were sublimed white lead and 
lithopone, and claim good results. Where the mod- 
ern flat finishes have not worked properly over old 
flat lead paints, we must look for some other cause 
than the antipathy of lithopone and lead. It is my 
opinion that where trouble has been experienced it has 
been due almost entirely to the poor physical condition 
of the old dry coat. It is impossible to get much oil 
into a lead coating, and at the same time have it flat. 
Such coatings are, therefore, deficient in binder when 
applied, and become more and more brittle as time 
goes on from saponification of the oil by the lead, and 
possibly through reaction with the lime of the wall. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 41 

The same coating- applied out of doors would rapidly 
check off, and would practically have disappeared by 
the time the surface came up for repainting, but with 
indoor exposure only it remains on the wall, though 
none the less perished and dead. 

Such a surface is unfit as it stands for supporting a 
finishing coat properly, whatever may be the pigment 
in it. It greedily absorbs the vehicle from the new 
coat, but not equally so over the whole surface, leaving 
the latter of uneven luster and more or less deficient in 
binder. The new coat may check, or in some cases may 
pull the old dead coat off. Two coats of flat finish will 
be needed in all such cases to get a uniform looking 
job, and if the first of them is liberally thinned with 
linseed oil so as to add some life to the undercoat, the 
job will be the better for it. 

It is manifestly impossible for the manufacturer to 
cover in his directions all the cases that arise in prac- 
tice, and specify the treatment for each. More depends 
upon the man who applies the paint than upon the 
paint itself. It is with a finishing coat of paint as 
with varnish — it is the last thing which goes on the 
jot) — and if the results are unsatisfactory the unthink- 
ing man is apt to blame the finishing coat, whatever it 
may be. The careful painter looks well to his founda- 
tion, and this should be the watchword when using 
modern flat wall finishes. 

In securing a satisfactory job with flat wall finishes 
built up with lithopone, much depends upon the 
preparation of the wall or surface. Unfortunately, 
the plaster on walls, especially the sand-finished kind, 
is not uniform — the hard spots holding up the wall 
finishes and the porous parts soaking it in. Glue size, 
while permissable under calcimine, is undesirable as a 
means of holding up flat wall finish. Either the var- 



42 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

nish content of the wall finish, drying hard, causes the 
glue to curl and peel, or the water, after continued 
washings, goes through the porous paint coating, soft- 
ens the glue with disastrous results. Gloss oil should 
not be used, as it does not resist moisture. A good, 
•free-working varnish size, consisting of a gallon of 
varnish to which a quart of fiat wall paint has been 
added, will be found thoroughly satisfactory. 

Lithopone. — The two raw materials which are 
used for making lithopone are zinc metal, or spelter, 
and barytes. The zinc is brought into solution and 
the barytes is f urnaced and converted into a clear, trans- 
parent solution of barium sulphide. When these two 
solutions of zinc sulphate and barium sulphide com- 
bine, the two metals, zinc and barium, exchange their 
acids. 

The soluble zinc sulphate is converted into insoluble 
zinc sulphide and the soluble barium sulphide seizes the 
sulphuric acid from the zinc sulphate and is converted 
into insoluble barium sulphate. 

Research laboratory work has proven that the re- 
sulting article is not a mere mechanical mixture of 
zinc sulphide and barium sulphate, but a close mole- 
cular mixture, so that we have the new product which 
we call lithopone. 

The precipitated lithopone is dried and then ground 
in wood oil. In some lithopone factories the litho- 
pone is thrown red-hot from the calcining ovens into 
cold water. It is supposed that it thus acquires a finer 
grain and more body, but this appears to be a mistake, 
and the practice necessarily involves a second filtration. 
The sulphide of barium used is seldom made from pre- 
cipitated sulphate of baryta, and nearly always from 
the natural salt, heavy spar or barytes. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 43 

Flat wall finishes are all made on the same funda- 
mental formula; the essential pigments are lithopone 
and zinc oxide with or without inert pigment and with 
the addition of the ordinary colored pigments in the 
tints and shades. 

As undercoating for enamel they will be found use- 
ful, owing to the ease with which they may be sanded. 
On steel ceilings they will be found to be just as satis- 
factory as on plaster or fibre board. They produce a 
very pleasing effect when applied over burlap, the lat- 
ter being first treated with a coat of a good liquid 
filler. They may be liberally thinned with turps or 
benzine and applied to window shades to restore the 
original color or to change the shade to conform to a 
new color scheme in the room. For finishing radia- 
tors they are excellent, as even the white and light 
tints show little tendency to change at the temperature 
of hot water and low pressure steam. 

It should be understood that while lithopone can be 
used very extensively in interior painting, it cannot be 
used in the same way as carbonate of lead or oxide of 
zinc, but must be used with more or less discretion and 
knowledge of its nature, otherwise the painter is apt to 
get into difficulty. For instance, green or chrome 
yellow, which the painter uses generally, is made 
from a lead base which will work with oxide of 
zinc or carbonate of lead without detriment, but can- 
not be used with the proper degree of safety in litho- 
pone. In all cases where a green or yellow is to be 
used it ought to be a chromium oxide or a mixture of 
zinc yellow or cobalt blue. These particular colors 
are, of course, lime proof and are superior for interior 
work or cement work, and should always be used in 
connection with lithopone. 



44 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

Notes on Use of Lithopone Wall Paint 

Lithopone paint does well enough over white lead, 
but some advise against the practice. 

Not more than 15 per cent, of benzol should be used 
in thinning out lithopone paint in paste. 

It is best to flow on lithopone paint rather more 
freely than white lead paint. 

Try adding tablespoonful of raw oil to the gal- 
lon of lithopone paint, if it dries so fast as to show laps ; 
this will make it work easier under the brush. 

The addition of pure raw linseed oil is desired in 
lithopone paint. 

Flat wall finish should be applied much as you 
would calcimine, no care being taken to lay it off as oil 
paint is laid off. When dry it will present a smooth 
flat surface free from laps and streaks. 

Cracks, etc., filled with plaster, should be shellaced 
over and allowed to dry before sizing walls with var- 
nish. 

The best flat wall paints do not set too quickly, and 
one man can manage a surface that with flat lead would 
require at least two men. 

One. may get over ground faster when using flat 
wall paint because wider brushes may be used than 
with white lead. 

It is feasible with some brands of flat wall paint to 
touch up missed or defective parts long after the sur- 
face has been coated, without showing the touch-up. 

Never putty with common glaziers' putty, for the 
same will show up under lithopone paint; make the 
putty from dry white lead, whiting and gold size, as 
per formula for putty under proper head. 

Never coat a damp wall with lithopone wall paint, 
for it will not do. If a damp wall has been so coated, 
then paint it over with white lead paint. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 45 

Use same pigments with lithopone paint as with lead 
and oil paints, but zinc yellow and ultramarine blue 
are better than lead chrome and Chinese blue, re- 
spectively. 

As liquid driers contain lead they cannot safely be 
used with lithopone. 

When flat wall paint does scale from a wall it leaves 
it in sheets. 

Lithopone paint mixed in oil will last almost as long 
as white lead paint. 

Flat wall paints are variously made, some good, oth- 
ers not. 

It is the whitest paint known, and will cover a black 
stove with one coat. 

With lead it will darken. Testing 21 samples, iS 
darkened, and only 3 stood up without darkening. 

Lithopone is cheaper that white lead, easier under 
the brush than zinc white, and is non-poisonous. 

Prussian blue and chrome yellow should not be used 
with lithopone, as they will darken the paint. 

Some brands of lithopone wall paints are mixed 
with water, and this kind should not be used. Some 
lithopone paints contain no lithopone at all. 

To tell whether a wall paint made from litho- 
pone will turn, coat a piece of board with it and ex- 
pose it to light in a window in comparison with 
some other paint. 

Lithopone has remarkable hiding or covering power, 
relatively low oil-carrying figure, lack of brittleness, 
and a peculiar texture that when ground in oil makes it 
flat easier than other white pigments. 

Hot-pressed oil almost invariably gives a pigment 
which turns brown in a few months. In this tendency 
to turn brown we have the sole drawback of lithopone. 



48 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

Brushing- out of flat wall paint should be avoided; 
it results in a great saving of time and labor in the 
work. 

A painter says he adds a little varnish to flat wall 
paint and that it "works fine." 

Regarding Its Toxic Qualities 

There is absolutely no poisonous matter in the pig- 
ments. The liquid is universally a flat drying china 
wood oil varnish (in its essential composition) identical 
with most of the better grades of varnish ordinarily 
used by painters. There is nothing volatile or poison- 
ous in such a varnish subjected to the heat of manufac- 
ture. 

The volatile thinner is almost universally asphaltum 
spirits — that is. a heavy benzine with a high boiling 
point. The trouble comes from this ingredient, if it 
comes at all. 

Doubtless the inhalation of benzine vapor in a closed 
room will produce the phenomena of ordinary smoth- 
ering — insufficient oxidation of the blood ; but it will 
not do so as quickly as the more volatile benzine ordi- 
narily used by painters ; nor will it produce the serious 
toxic effect of turpentine vapor inhaled in similar cir- 
cumstances. 

All painters, everywhere, constantly use paints and 
varnishes containing large percentages of the volatile 
thinners above described and all painters have hereto- 
fore habitually used white lead "flatted" by them- 
selves by "washing out" a proportion of the oil with 
turpentine. They also frequently use the still more 
toxic wood alcohol in shellac varnishes, where it is 
employed as a denaturant of ethyl alcohol. 

Any and all of these materials can, when used with- 
out ordinary care, produce disagreeable effects, and 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 47 

some of them, especially wood alcohol and turpentine, 
may involve serious consequences ; but the least dan- 
gerous and the least injurious of them is the heavy 
gravity petroleum spirit used in flat wall finishes. 
This product is safer than the rest, not only because it 
evaporates more slowly and its vapor, being heavier, 
flows away more rapidly, but also because it is actu- 
ally less toxic than the rest. 

The remedy is ventilation — the ordinary natural 
ventilation dictated by common sense. If this be pro- 
vided no ill effects can possibly accompany the use of 
these finishes. Furthermore, under duplicated condi- 
tions, they are less injurious than "flatted" lead, ordi- 
nary high-grade paint or first-class varnish. 

Merits of Lithopone Wall Paint 

Lithcpone is more opaque, it obliterates better than 
white lead, therefore, for covering up old discolored 
white or pale tints, it is more effective, and two coats 
may serve where three of lead might have to be used. 

It is whiter than white lead, and retains its whiteness 
when properly mixed with the correct drier and oil for 
far longer periods than white lead, and when delicate 
tints are required it gives purer tones than lead, anTl 
these in turn retain their pure tones longer than if 
made with white lead. 

It works as freely as lead, and follows the brush 
more like lead than oxide of zinc does. 

It is lower in initial cost per hundred weight or per 
gallon than lead, and when the strong points I have 
enumerated are taken into consideration, it must be ad- 
mited that it is a desirable article for painting pur- 
poses. 

The pigment is not brittle, and if any flaking or in- 
elasticity manifests itself, the fault is said to be in the 



48 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

binder. It is more elastic than zinc oxide and is not 
discolored by sulphurous gases, as is white lead. 

The tendency of lithopone paints to flat is particu- 
larly valuable to the master painter for flat work. Be- 
cause lithopone requires to be carefully ground in the 
proper percentages of certain reinforcing pigments, its 
use in the dry form by the master painter cannot be 
recommended. 

Thorough grinding of the ingredients is necessary 
for the best results, and therefore lithopone products 
have thus far only been offered to the master painter 
either in paste form, similar to lead in oil, or mixed 
ready for use. Either form has much to recommend 
it to the practical painter and decorator, and his choice 
depends dargely on conditions governing the work in 
hand. Furnished in paste form, ground in oil or 
varnish, or both, it can be thinned with volatile thin- 
ners to make a perfectly flat job, and can be tinted, 
as in lead to the shade required. In thinning paste 
goods with naphtha, which can be used wholly or in 
part with turpentine, it is advisable to use the heavier 
naphthas, or if these are not available, to add a pint or 
less of good, clean petroleum or coal oil to each gallon 
of naphtha to slow its evaporation and decrease the 
flowing properties of the goods. This does away with 
the piling up or ridging so common in flat w r ork. If 
the thinner added to the paste dries too slowly, gaso- 
line may be added. 

In connection with the production of a flat paint it 
is well to bear in mind that lithopone will stand a 
greater amount of elastic binder in the vehicle, and 
still flat out, than other white pigments. Any of the 
white pigments may be ground in coach japan or japan 
and varnish, and produce a flat paint when the paste is 
thinned with volatile thinner, but the film so produced 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 49 

is not an elastic film, such as is produced when the 
binder is oil. It is generally necessary to stipple a flat 
white lead job, even though the lead has been drawn 
with turpentine and a considerable part of its oil re- 
moved; but lithopone, even though it takes relatively 
more oil in grinding than lead, will flat so perfectly 
that no stippling is necessary, even though all the oil 
used in grinding is allowed to remain. 

Any additional care or expense involved in prepar- 
ing a satisfactory foundation for the application of flat 
wall finish is more than offset by the fact that stippling 
is not necessary ; the brushing is done much quicker ; a 
wall finished with it can be washed a greater number 
of times than a lead-coated wall and without showing- 
streaks and blotches, and when once a wall is coated 
with it, no special preparation is necessary beyond the 
usual patching and sizing incidental to the natural 
wear of the building, before flat wall finish can be ap- 
plied again. 

Lithopone is finer and shows more absorption for oil 
than lead does, but not as much as zinc. 

Lead, ioo pounds, contains about four gallons oil, 
while ioo pounds of lithopone is said to contain eight 
and one-half gallon oil. 

Lithopone of the best quality is lighter in gravity, 
and much bulkier than white lead. Ground stiffy. it 
will absorb much more linseed oil, and will require a 
much larger container, owing to its much more bulky 
character. When mixed to a ready-to-use condition, 
it will have a considerably greater number of gallons 
per hundred weight than white lead mixed. 

Many difficulties have arisen from discoloration of 
leadless paints, and many hard words have been said 
about them in consequence. This discoloration takes 
place with inferior makes of lithopone, or it may be 



50 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

due to the use of improper driers, or boiled oil con- 
taining lead driers. The finest grade when mixed 
with correct ingredients does not discolor, but keeps a 
beautiful white. 

In this case the fault is undoubtedly due to the lin- 
seed oil with which the pigment has been ground. The 
remedy is to grind the color with the oil just before it is 
employed, and to use only oil of the first pressing, and 
which is as pale as can be obtained. 

Some of Its Demerits 

It does not combine with the linseed oil in the same 
way as lead to form a tough paint film, and has a 
tendency to disintegrate more rapidly owing to its ab- 
sorption of moisture more readily than lead. This de- 
fect makes it less protective in character for outside 
painting, and something must be done to repair, as far 
as possible, this weakness. 

In pursuing my investigations into this subject, the 
question naturally arose as to what was necessary to 
strengthen leadless paint so as to make it compare 
more favorably with lead for outside use. Something 
seemed to be needed to act as a binder so as to toughen 
the paint film to a greater degree than linseed oil. 

Tests have proved that a good strong high-grade 
pale varnish will materially help to effect this desirable 
result. There is little doubt that only with the addi- 
tion of varnish will leadless white give satisfactory re- 
sults outside. 

Exposed outside as an oil paint, it is liable to chalk 
and disintegrate. 

It must not be combined with lead ; being a sulphide, 
the compound is liable to blacken. 

There is one way in which lithopone can lose its 
whiteness, and that is by the addition of white lead, 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 51 

litharge or lead colors. White lead is acted upon by 
lithopone so as to sulphate it and blacken the lead, so 
that it is important that for white paints you should 
keep them separate. If they should get together in old 
paint stock of darker tints there is no harm, as they 
do not act upon each other to cause peeling. 

It may be that some of the tests have proved greater 
failure than others, owing to lack of knowledge of the 
best method of mixing leadless paint. Much more oil 
should be used in mixing, and there should be a larger 
percentage of driers than is used in the mixing of lead, 
and a somewhat fuller coat should be given. 

A large proportion of these flat finishes are very dif- 
ficult to break up, probably due to some presence of 
rosin compounds that combine with zinc oxide. Most 
of them are composed of lithopone in combination 
with other pigments, some containing whiting. We 
found very few of these could be applied with ease. 
Most of them had a comparatively light petroleum 
thinner and would not flow out as the manufacturer 
said they would. Some contained lead and were off 
color. 



52 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 




FLOOR PAINTING 

ew Floor, Kitchen. — Paint is best for a 
kitchen floor. Prime with white lead tint- 
ed to agree with finishing color. Add as 
thinners turpentine or benzol, and no more 
oil than is in the white lead, if wood is hard 
pine. For second and third coats, where light color is 
desired, use zinc white or lithopone, in oil, colored to 
suit, and with brown japan and varnish, as follows : 
Beat up a gallon of paste zinc or lithopone in oil to a 
stout paste, add half a gallon of good brown japan, 
beat up again to a paste, add a little turpentine and 
thin out to brushing consistency with a hard copal var- 
nish, a varnish that dries hard in about twelve hours. 

Shellac Finish. — A quick finish for the kitchen 
floor may be made with two or three coats of shellac 
varnish, colored to suit. Use dry colors for coloring, 
using earth colors only. 

Natural Finish. — First-coat with orange shellac, 
follow with one or two coats of hard gum floor var- 
nish. 

Porch Floor. Hard Gloss. — Hard pine, prime 
with white lead thinned with benzol or turpentine, or 
part of each. Tint priming color to approximate that 
of the finish. Some use a thinning made of raw oil f 
and turpentine or benzol -{- part. The primer must be 
well rubbed into the wood and net be too stout. Use 
just enough driers to make priming dry in reasonable 
time, and avoid use of too much. Second coat same 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 53 

as first, only it should be thinned with equal parts of 
oil and turpentine, and driers. This will make an elas- 
tic and hard surface for next coats. The finish coat 
ma)' be made from white lead, zinc, and silica, ground 
in oil, tinted as desired, and thinned out with a hard 
gum varnish to a brushing consistency. 

Old Floors. Porch. — Touch up worn places with 
the paint advised for second coat on new floors. When 
dry, apply a finishing coat same as finish for new 
floors, either on worn and re-coated steps or all over 
porch floor, as condition may indicate. 

Painting New Porch Floor. — The flooring 
should be painted on the under side before being placed 
in position, applying a coat of brown oxide or scrap 
paint thinned and strained. The joints or edges of the 
narrow boards should be leaded with white lead paste 
in oil before being placed. As most of the deteriora- 
tion of a porch floor paint comes from dampness under 
the floor the wisdom of painting the under part is ap- 
parent. And the leading of the joints keep water out 
and makes a solid surface. These things are import- 
ant and mean prolonged life to the floor. Two coats 
of paint on the under side would not be too much, and 
a coat on the edges, supplementing the leading, will 
be good. 

Dust Color For Porch Floor. — The following 
pigments are to be made dry: Zinc white 2$ lbs., 
white lead 5 lbs., bolted gilders' whiting 10 lbs., 
French yellow ochre 1^ lbs., lampblack } 11). Mix 
all together, and add raw oil to form a stiff paste ; 
thin with turpentine 5^ qts., copal hard-drying 
varnish 4 gals., and driers 6\ qts. Lithtrge is 



54 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

better than liquid driers for floor paint. Ochre and 
fine silica both add to the wearing quality of a floor 
paint. Varnish hardens and toughens the paint. 
Never use boiled oil in floor paint. Portland cement 
and also plaster of Paris are used in some floor paint 
formulas. Little white lead is used, ochre is better, 
also zinc white. Some lead, but more zinc, is good. 

Floor Paint Formula, Buff Color. — American 
yellow ochre 35 lbs., whiting 5 lbs. barytes 5 
lbs., Portland cement 9^ lbs. All dry. Thin 
to paste with raw oil. Thin to working consistency 
with turpentine and varnish, more varnish than turpen- 
tine. 

Hard Pine Porch Floor, Natural Finish. — 
Prime with three parts raw oil and one part turpentine, 
and quantum sufticit of driers. When hard-dry apply 
a coat of best spar varnish, and after not less than three 
days of fine weather ; more time if weather is not best 
drying ; apply a finish coat of the spat varnish. 

Maple Flooring. — It is an error to prime this 
wood with oil, as some do, for it will darken it in 
time and spoil its delicate beauty. Prime it with 
white shellac, and finish with white copal varnish. Or 
two or three coats of shellac will make a desirable fin- 
ish in some cases. The shellac surface should then be 
rubbed with a floor oil composed of 9 parts raw linseed 
oil and one part driers, well rubbed in. As the floor 
becomes worn it should be rubbed at least once a 
month with a reviver made from raw oil 8 pints, tur- 
pentine 1 quart, and white shellac one pint. Use a 
brush in applying this, and rub it in with a weighted 
brush around which wrap a cloth. The floor should 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 55 

dry hard over night. Paraffin oil of light color and 
gravity also will freshen up such a floor and lengthen 
its life. 

Hard maple floors may also be shellaced or shellaced, 
varnished and waxed, if a wax finish is desired. 

The putty for nail hole or other defect in porch floor 
should be a hard and tough one, made as directed un- 
der the head of ''putty," which see. 

While cement has been given as an ingredient in a 
floor paint formula, yet we do not favor it on account 
of its caustic quality, which would cause it to attack 
the oil and form a sort of soap. Silex or silica and 
barytes both are much better than cement. Also, ochre 
and Venetian red may be used when those colors are 
not undesirable, in connection with some lead and 
zinc, etc. 

Durable Floor Paint. — The following formula 
gives a paint that will dry well and prove durable, it 
being largely used in Germany : Mix up some white 
lead in boiled oil to a paste or stiff batter, and tint as 
desired. Get some old paint skins and burn them and 
gather up the ashes, which add to the paint, their pur- 
pose being- to harden the paint. First grind these 
ashes in a mill, in turpentine. Add sugar of lead and 
turpentine for driers, and thin with pure boiled linseed 
oil. For body or base, zinc white is preferred to 
white lead, which is too soft. Use this paint for all 
the coats, only using a little more turpentine for the 
under coats, and it may be topped off with a coat of 
varnish if desired. — Karl Holm, Van Wert, Ohio. 

Quick Painting of Floor. — If you have a floor 
that must be painted and yet not be out of use for more 
than a very few hours, try this: Color some shellac 



56 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

varnish with whatever pigment you may desire, then 
thin down the mass with alcohol ; apply two coats, al- 
lowing an hour between coats. If done in the evening 
the floor will be stone-hard and dry by morning. In 
fact, it will be fit to use in about three hours after it 
is done. 

Finishing Hard Pine Floor. — Linseed oil dark- 
ens yellow or hard pine. Better shellac it, two coats, 
following with wax, which polish by rubbing. Or two 
coats of wax on the bare wood will do, rubbing to a 
polish. 

Cleaning Greasy Floor. — A practical method for 
removing oil and grease from any floor is the use of 
a hot, saturated solution of common washing soda. 
This is prepared by dissolving as much of the soda as 
possible in a quantity of hot water. The solution can 
be made up in quantity and stored in a barrel or else- 
where. When about to clean the floor, the solution 
should be heated to near its boiling point and applied 
hot, supplementing its unaided action by a vigorous 
sweeping with a stiff broom or brush. 

Removing Fresh Paint From Floor. — To remove 
fresh paint from the floor, cover with vinegar at once 
and wipe off with a soft cloth. 

Removing Wax and Shellac From Floors. — 
Use benzine and a scrubbing brush, vigorously manipu- 
lated, for removing the wax. Use varnish remover, 
or amyl acetate, acetone, wood alcohol, or fusel oil or 
mixture, for removing the shellac. An awful smell 
results, and demands plenty of ventilation in the room. 
The scraper is a good thing for removing wax or shel- 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 57 

lac ; slow but sure, and no vile smells. Wax softens 
up easily under benzine, gasoline, benzol, and turpen- 
tine. The coating - is usually quite thin and therefore 
not difficult to remove. 

Sticky Painted Floor. — A painted floor would 
become sticky in humid weather; what could be done 
to remedy the evil ? Remove the paint with paint re- 
mover. Do not try painting over it, as the trouble 
would not be helped any. If removing the paint is not 
feasible, try wetting it with water to which a little am- 
monia has been added, and cleari up the floor. When 
dry, give it a coat of thin grain alcohol shellac, and in 
a day or so apply another coat of the shellac. Let it 
go at that or paint over the shellac. 

A Substitution That Is All Right. — "A master 
painter tells us that one of his men, doing a porch floor, 
ran out of oil, and needing a little to thin up the paint, 
used an exterior varnish instead when he found no oil. 
The result pleased the boss, though his man had not 
consulted him about thinning with varnish, and he 
says it is one of the best wearing floors he ever had, 
retaining a good gloss." Which only shows that the 
boss did not know that varnish is a main ingredient for 
floor paints. 

Finishing Hardwood Floors. — For a thorough 
exposition of this branch of floor work we must refer 
the reader to The Expert Wood Finisher, which gives 
25 pages on the subject, and contains all that is known 
about hardwood floor finishing and correlated matters. 



58 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 




PERTAINING TO INTERIOR WALLS 

amp Walls. — Permanently damp walls can- 
not be successfully treated by any kind of 
application on the interior side of the wall. 
The cause of the dampness must be ascer- 
tained and remedied. If it is caused by the 
admission of rain water into the wall through some 
defect in the building* such defect must be corrected. 
Dampness from the ground may be absorbed by the 
wall, and when such is the case the water must be con- 
ducted from the building through a proper draining 
system. Porous brick walls, or very coarse cement 
walls, will often, on rainy days, absorb enough water 
to make the walls damp for a long time. Such walls 
should be painted on the outside with oil paint. x\s a 
substitute for oil paint (some painters claim it is bet- 
ter) a mixture of linseed oil, tallow and rosin in equal 
proportions may be used. Apply the mixture hot when 
the wall is dry. 

Another treatment for exterior walls of this kind is 
made by melting in boiling water enough soap to make 
a jelly; this jelly is rubbed well into the wall and when 
this is dry a coat of alum solution in solution is applied. 
This should be strong, a pound of alum to the gallon of 
water; apply liberally. The soap jelly will not dry 
hard, but in dry weather the water will evaporate 
enough in twenty-four hours to allow of the applica- 
tion of the alum water. 

The most satisfactory coating for damp interior 
walls, to prepare them for paint, is what is called Syl- 
vester's Solution. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 59 

This process consists in using two washes or solu- 
tions for covering the surface of the wall, one com- 
posed of castile soap and water and one of alum and 
water. The proportions are f pound of soap to i gal- 
lon of water, and | pound of alum to four gallons of 
water, both substances to be quite dissolved in water 
before being used. The walls should be quite clean 
and dry, and the temperature of the air not over 50 
deg., F., when the compositions are applied. The first, 
or soap wash, should be laid on when boiling hot with 
a flat brush, taking care not to form a froth on the 
work. This wash should remain twenty-four hours, 
so as to be dry and hard before the second, or alum 
wash, is applied, which should be done in the same 
manner as the first. The temperature of this wash 
when applied may be from 60 deg. to 70 deg., F., and 
this also should remain twenty-four hours before a 
second coat of soap wash is put on. These coats are 
to be applied alternately until the walls are made im- 
pervious to water. 

The secret of the working of such a process is that 
the two solutions of soap and alum, alternately ap- 
plied, sink into the texture of the wall and form an in- 
soluble sebate, this filling the plaster, and, being insolu- 
ble in water, it forms a waterproof coating. Water 
cannot penetrate or pass it from either the back or 
front, so that it makes a safe foundation for paper or 
paint. 

If the dampness does not come from the outside, you 
can make a damp-proofing liquid by placing in a suita- 
ble vessel ten pounds of air slaked lime, two pounds 
glucose (grape sugar), one-half pound powdered 
alum, one-half gallon boiled linseed oil and one pint oil 
of eucalyptus, adding two gallons hot water gradually, 
while stirring, until all is dissolved. If this liquid on 



60 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

cooling - is too stout to work freely under the brush, add 
more warm water. You can mix with this liquid any 
lime-proof pigment, such as zinc or lithopone, Vene- 
tian red, ochre, umber or lime blue, using the mixture 
in place of paint. 

Never use shellac varnish on damp walls, but you 
might try in place of the liquid referred to plaster of 
Paris wet up with weak glue size and alum solution. 

Or, dissolve one pound of powdered alum in half a 
gallon of warm turps and apply to walls. 

Next, three pounds of litharge in one gallon hot lin- 
seed oil. Go over walls with this after turps and alum 
are set. Put it on as near boiling as you can. Leave 
it stand from 8 to 12 hours. 

Dampness will not penetrate this priming. 

Stze For New Walls. — Water glass is perfectly 
safe to use on new plastered walls as a size, because it 
forms in contact with caustic lime an insoluble silicate 
of lime, which is inactive because insoluble. The sili- 
cate of soda of commerce, when to be used for this 
purpose, is best diluted with double the quantity of 
water and applied with a fiber brush. When the plas- 
ter is very smooth and of hard finish, the water glass 
may be still further diluted with water and yet stop the 
suction in the wall. It will serve as a sizing for either 
oil paint or water paint. 

Whether there is any chemical action or reaction, 
strictly speaking, when soap, glue and alum are mixed 
together we are not prepared to say, but it is a matter 
of fact that a mixture of soap and glue alone will not 
harden sufficiently to be painted over. The addition 
of alum hardens the soap to a certain extent and ren- 
ders the glue insoluble on exposure to the air. When 
glue size without soap is used the addition of alum 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 61 

keeps it from souring or molding, and when a size of 
soap without glue is used under water paint it is liable 
to rub up on the application of the paint unless alum 
has been added to the soap solution. The addition of 
alum to size also permits water paints to flow more 
freely and evenly over it. 

About half a pint of strong vinegar to four gallons 
of water makes a good wash for killing the free lime in 
newly plastered walls. Give the wall plenty of chance 
to dry after using. 

For the better class of work we have found that size 
made up of one-third gallon of benzine, one-third gal- 
lon of furniture varnish, one-third gallon of dry pig- 
ment, lead or whiting, brings the best results. You 
will use one-third less paint by using this formula for 
undercoating. 

Filling Cracks In Plaster Walls. — "I have a 
painted wall to repaint, and there are some large cracks 
in the plaster; how shall I fill the cracks so that they 
won't show in the finish?" If you use plaster of Paris 
add weak glue size ; the trouble with this filler is that it 
will shrink more or less, and so we use a hard glazing 
putty, mixing lead and whiting, dry, with a little var- 
nish and oil to the proper consistency, adding also a 
trifle of japan; when this filler becomes dry enough, 
sandpaper it down smooth to a level with the general 
wall surface ; paint the filler then to match the walls, 
and if one coat fails to make it as good as the old sur- 
face, apply more paint. Then sandpaper off and coat 
the entire wall surface. 

Cracked Walls. — On ceilings and walls that are 
badly cracked up, and where large patches of new plas- 
ter have been added here and there, it is a sure case of 



62 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

cracking again where the old plaster comes together; 
here I always use, if the walls are to be finished in oil 
paint, a heavy unbleached sheeting. First, of course, 
scrape and flush up all cracks and bad plaster, and 
paint the whole surface one coat ; then apply the muslin 
with a heavy oil paint made of remnants and scrapings 
left over from different kinds of work, dark colors as 
well as light colors, stirred up and strained, to which 
add a portion of mineral white to a consistency of 
fairly heavy paste. Sheeting put up with this and after- 
wards troweled over with a plaster's trowel with a 
composition of similar stuff, painted with two thin 
coats and two heavy coats of paint, the last two heavy 
coats stippled, has proved to be a very durable and per- 
manent surface. —Correspondence. 

Tacky Paint. — Lime will not cure badly-smoked 
or tacky surfaces. These sometimes refuse to dry in 
spite of washing and rubbing. In this case working 
up a new paint, which has refused to dry, with driers, 
generally cures the trouble. Non-drying painted or 
varnished surfaces may also be treated in the same 
manner with a mixture of gold size and turpentine. 

Trouble With Painted Walls. — "I have trouble 
with a painted wall, the painting being on plaster ; the 
paint is eaten through in spots and some sort of liquid 
forms, looking like tobacco juice, which runs down the 
walls, this liquid and the paint running down together. 
What is the cause of this, and what can be done to 
the walls to stop it?" The trouble probably comes 
from an excess of alkali in the plaster. Most plaster 
walls would be better for a little acid size, not enough 
to injure the plaster, just enough to neutralize the 
lime. Vinegar is good. One of the best correctives 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 63 

is sulphate of zinc, a pound to the pint of ■ water, using 
soft water. Let this have 48 hours for drying. It 
may be well also to apply a second coat of this. But 
after the paint is on and trouble has set in, the only 
thing to do is to scrape away all the stuff and shellac 
the walls. Or wash off with benzine after scraping, 
then give it the shellac. 

Flat Wall Paint Streaky. — When the flat wall 
paint dries out in streaks, or "flashes,'' it is because the 
paint contains too much oil. When strong tints are 
used it is necessary to use considerable tinting colors 
containing oil. 

Before painting a room wall, dust off the tops of 
doors and windows, or you will get a fine mess of dirt 
into your paint. Housewives rarely clean off places 
not seen. Your wife does, of course; so does mine. 

Cracked Walls. — Larger cracks may be repaired 
by cutting them out so as to form a key ; that is. by mak- 
ing the inside of the crack larger or wider than the out- 
side, so that when the plaster is applied, it will fill the 
inside space and be held there. To do this use a small 
trowel. Fill the crack quite full. A very large crack 
or break should be only partially filled at first, allow- 
ing the filling to become nearly or quite dry, then add- 
ing enough to fill up level full. If too much plaster 
be applied at once, in a large opening, it is apt to fall 
out by reason of its weight. A sand-finished wall 
crack may be repaired with a mixture of plaster and 
sand, equal parts, and some lime putty or thick slaked 
lime. Fill the opening with this, and rub it over with 
a float or block, to give it a rough appearance, like the 
rest of the wall. Some use Brussels carpet over a block 



64 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

and some use it over a trowel. Wet the part now and 
then as you rub it with the float, and if you do the job 
right it will be hard to tell just where the repair was 
made. 

A good mixture of putty for filling cracks in a wall 
may be made of plaster of Paris, four parts, and one 
part of whiting, adding glue size to form into a putty. 
First wet the crack. This putty will not set too soon, 
yet will in time become hard enough. It is best to 
dry the plaster before using, as it will give a stronger 
cement if dry. Place it in an oven, or in a pan on the 
stove. 

Very small cracks may be filled by first applying a 
coat of glue size, to stop suction, and when dry rub in 
some of the plaster putty. 

Where breaks occur, or large cracks, whereby the 
edges of same are above the rest of the surface, it will 
be necessary to remove the projecting parts and fill in 
with plaster. The proper preparation of the wall sur- 
face is just as important and worthy of care as the cal- 
cimining, and unless it is done you will not get a nice 
job. 

In using lime with the plaster be careful to not get 
too much in, its object being to retard the setting of the 
plaster of Paris. After the plaster is dry, shellac it. 
Never sandpaper the plastered crack, but trowel it 
down smooth and hard. To fill up sunken parts, use a 
mixture of whiting and glue size, thickened to a putty 
with plaster of Paris, to which add a little varnish. 
This should be left to harden and dry. It will become 
very hard, and can be spread out quite thin. 

Plaster of Paris mixed in vinegar containing some 
table salt will give a good filler for cracks, and it does 
not set too quickly, while the salt makes it very hard 
when dry. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 65 

When mixing plaster filling do not pour the water 
on to the plaster, but scatter the plaster into the water 
as you stir the mass. 



Stippling Painted Walls 

Assuming that the walls are in ordinary condition, 
or that there are a few imperfections, such as small 
cracks, etc., these should first be repaired with plaster 
of Paris, and when dry these parts should be sand- 
papered smooth and then brushed down, thus getting a 
smooth and clean surface to paint on. 

The first coat of paint should be full and round, oil 
paint, made to dry with a gloss. It should be tinted or 
colored to match the finish. Allowing this coat of 
paint to dry hard, we would then apply a coat of glue 
size, made by melting a pound of best white glue or 
gelatin in a gallon of water. This size must be applied 
while hot. When the glue has become perfectly dry 
apply the stippling coat of paint. 

First, however, make up your thinners for the paint, 
mixing together a gallon each of raw linseed oil and 
turpentine, which must be well shaken up. The paint 
is made from white lead, though some workmen pre- 
fer a combination base, made of lead, zinc and barytes 
or silica, saying that it gives a clearer paint, producing 
sharper and clearer tints. 

Thin up your base, whether all lead or a combination 
base, with the thinners specified, making the paint 
about like buttermilk in consistency, or perhaps rather 
thicker, more like cream. In another vessel place 
some best grade of plaster of Paris and mix with it 
some of the stock thinners, making a mixture of the 
same consistency as the paint. 



66 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

Mix together equal quantities of the paint and plas- 
ter mixture and stir until the mass is perfectly amal- 
gamated. Then tint the mixture whatever shade you 
desire for the finish. 

It is well to apply this stipple coat as heavy as one 
can well spread it with the brush ; stipple it at once. 
Bear in mind that the stippling must follow the appli- 
cation of the paint closely. On large surfaces it will 
be necessary to have been enough to paint and stipple 
entirely across the wall at one operation, thus finish- 
ing the wall while the paint is fresh. In this way 
there will be no danger of laps showing. This is very 
important to remember. A single lap would destroy 
the beauty of the whole job. 

Another important matter is to have the proper scaf- 
folding, so that there will be no delay at any time ow- 
ing to inability to get along with the work. 

The use of a thinner composed of oil and turpentine, 
half and half, will give a stippling that will dry with an 
egg-shell gloss. If you desire a dead flat effect, then 
make a mixture of turpentine two parts and oil one 
part. Bear in mind, however, that the more turpentine 
you add the quicker the paint will set. Therefore, the 
dead flat finish will demand livelier work, with no time 
for talking or fooling. 

A stippling done as indicated in the foregoing in- 
structions will result in a finish like unto pebble goat 
leather, and after it has become thoroughly dry it will 
be hard as stone. 

Painting Office Walls 

"As a rule, three coats of paint are sufficient to prop- 
erly cover a wall. Often times the wall is in such 
condition that four coats are necessary to make a good 
job. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 67 

"In mixing the paint for the first coat as much boiled 
linseed oil should be used as the wall will permit ; then 
the second coat should contain a less quantity of oil. 
After these two coats have thoroughly dried, a coat of 
glue size should be put on in order to give a smooth 
and hard surface on which to apply the last coat. In 
mixing the material for this coat, the painter should 
use about one-quarter to one-third as much zinc as he 
does lead. This makes a hard surface. Immediately 
after the last coat of paint is put on, it should be stip- 
pled, that is, the walls should be patted with a stiff 
brush, and this must be done before the paint dries; 
therefore, if a room is fairly large, this is only accom- 
plished successfully by having two men work at the 
same time — one doing the painting and the other fol- 
lowing immediately after with his stippling brush. 

The stippling of a wail obliterates the marks of the 
paint brush and makes a uniform surface. Painted 
walls treated in this manner look extremely well. 
Three-coat paint work costs about 21 to 22 cents per 
square yard, whether done by contract or by the day." 
— G. Folsom. 




68 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



PAINTING NEW WOOD WORK, EXTERIOR 

riming Coat. — So many different kinds of 
wood are now used in building that paint- 
ing is no longer the simple process it was 
when white pine formed the sole material 
for that purpose. It is easy enough to 
prime and paint white pine, which contains 
nothing harmful to paint, excepting rosin, as seen in 
knots and streaks, and which was of infrequent occur- 
rence on even second-grade timber. It will be neces- 
sary, therefore, to take up each wood by itself and ex- 
plain how it must be treated to make a successful job 
of painting with it. Beginning with white pine, the 
priming coat may consist of white lead thinned with 
raw linseed oil and a very little japan driers, 
or with 80 or 90 per cent, oil and 20 or 10 per cent, 
turpentine, as preferred. The old way was to use 
only the oil, but modern painters add a percentage of 
turpentine, saying it makes a better penetration than 
oil alone. In former days, too, the percentage of lead 
used in priming was larger than now, and some paint- 
ers now advocate all oil, with a little turpentine, while 
others prefer just enough lead to whiten the thinners. 
The best practice, however, would be to allow liber- 
ally of lead, making the paint thin enough to flow 
easily, and then to rub into the wood all the lead and 
oil it will take up, leaving practically nothing on the 
surface. 

Priming Cypress. — As a prominent painter puts it, 
cypress is of a peculiar nature ; it is full of a greasy 
substance, so that when you give a rub or two over it 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 69 



with sandpaper you find the paper clogged with a 
gummy stuff. Something must be added to the 
primer to cut this greasy substance, and it is recom- 
mended to use a mixture of 80 per cent, turpentine and 
20 per cent, raw linseed oil. This amount of oil acts 
simply as a binder for the turpentine paint. The tur- 
pentine carries the pigment particles into the wood, 
and this holds the priming to the surface, after the 
turpentine has evaporated. 

Some advocate the use of benzol in place of turpen- 
tine for priming cypress. It is not necessary for white 
pine, nor as desirable as turpentine. Use the benzol in 
same proportions as turpentine is used. 

A Texas painter, P. F. H., says he has tried about 
every way that it can be tried, and he finds that in mix- 
ing priming lead for a two-coat job it is best to add 
from 5 to 7 gallons of oil to the 100 pounds of lead. 
The idea is that when only two coats are to be given 
the priming will have to be heavier than for a three- 
coat job, and of course it would, but no good job can 
be done with two coats on new wood. This painter 
also thins with from 4 to 4^ gallons for the second 
coat. 

Breaking Up White Lead. — The usual method is 
to take out some lead, placing it in a paint pot, if for a 
small amount, or in a large vessel if a large quantity 
is required. So far well and good, but the frequent 
mistake made is to pour entirely too much oil in at the 
start. The best way to do is to begin with the keg of 
lead. Say it is a 100 pound keg. Take a stout pad- 
dle and run it down the sides of the lead, next the 
wood or metal, and gently push the lead toward the 
center of the mass, g'oing around the entire circum- 
ference in this manner, two or three times, and then 



70 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

work it from the middle toward the outer edge, doing 
this a few times. In this way the lead will soon be 
made into a smooth, soft mass, in which condition it 
will be much easier to mix, saving time and labor. 
Now, some of the lead may be put into a paint pot, if 
for a small job, and mixed as desired, but allowing it 
to stand for some hours, a day not being too long, for 
after standing some time the paint becomes finer and 
tougher and makes a better job. 

Start mixing lead by adding a very small quantity of 
oil to it, not more than one pint to ioo pounds of lead. 
With a good, strong paddle work the oil completely 
into the lead, then add another pint of oil, working 
this also into the mass. Then a quart of oilniay be 
added at a time, working each installment of oil well 
into the mass until you have worked in about a gallon 
and one-half into the ioo pounds of lead. For smaller 
quantities of lead smaller quantities of oil may o± 
course be employed. 

The mass will now readily thin down into a perfectly 
smooth paint, entirely free from lumps, though there 
will be some skin or other similar matter present, and 
hence the mass must be passed through a fine wire 
strainer before using. If any color is to be added, 
then add it before the final thinning, or while the lead 
is in a paste form, which will allow of the color being 
mixed into the mass more readily and perfectly. Some 
pigments, lampblack being the worst, are difficult of 
admixture with oil paint, and ought to be mixed with 
the paste or else be thinned when to be added to mixed 
paint. I have seen an old and expert painter try to 
mix oil-ground lampblack in thinned paint, and he 
simply could net do it, for the black would float on 
top. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 71 

Driers also should be added before the final thinning - . 
Also it is best to not add driers until ready to use the 
paint. 

The following method of painting- was given us by a 
venerable painter, Mr. F. A. Carr, Sr., of near Pitts- 
burgh, Pa., several years ago. He said it never had 
been given publicity before. For the priming of ex- 
terior work, add a pint of turpentine to one gallon of 
raw linseed oil, and mix with not more than six pounds 
of white lead, not more than four, and an ounce of 
litharge, powdered. Mix, strain, and rub well into the 
wood, rubbing across the grain. For second coat thin 
white lead with equal parts of oil and turpentine, omit- 
ting driers. Make a paint that will weigh 16 pounds 
to the gallon, if temperature be below 60 degrees, and 
18 pounds if above that degree. Allow primin^fcoat 
to stand for one or even two weeks, and same with the 
second coat. The third and finishing coat is made 
from white lead thinned with oil that you have pre- 
pared thus : Add one pound of litharge to a gallon of 
raw oil and let it boil 35 minutes, then let it stand over 
night. Then pour off, leaving sediment at bottom. 
This will make the best drying oil known. Mix the 
paint so thin that it will readily run from the paddle. 
There should also be added to the oil in boiling some 
beeswax, or it may be dissolved by itself, which is per- 
haps the better way, in a little oil. To each gallon of 
mixed paint use | ounce of beeswax. This paint dries 
with a good gloss, and under cover it will remain 
glossy five or six years. The small portion of wax is 
sufficient to keep the paint from running and chalking. 
This method requires more time and trouble than the 
common way, but where a strictly first-class job of ex- 
terior painting is desired it has all to commend it. 



72 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

Coloring may, of course, be added. The method takes 
somewhat less white lead than usual. The aged 
painter says that if you wish a white job that will re- 
tain its freshness for years, try this. He adds that the 
complaints against white lead chalking, etc., are to be 
laid at the doors of the painters. He believes that the 
addition of a very little fat oil adds to the life and 
beauty of the finish. 

Painting White Pine. — This is a soft, close- 
grain wood, now a very scarce variety, but still with- 
out an equal for house building. The best description 
of this wood and its treatment with paint appeared in 
a pamphlet some time ago, from the pens of A. M. 
Heath and J. B. Campbell, practical paint men, and 
who had made tests of the various woods used in house 
construction and elaborate experiments with their 
painting. This work was entitled, "Practical House 
Painting." I take the liberty of extracting this ac- 
count of white pine painting, sure that it will please my 
readers and not offend the authors named : 

"It seasons well and is comparatively free from 
shrinkage ; it has good absorbing qualities and readily 
takes paint on account of its even, uniform grain. For 
priming the reduction should be a medium thin con- 
sistency, carrying enough turpentine to assist in pene- 
tration and working. The priming should be applied 
with a full brush and be well and evenly brushed out. 
Ample time must be given for thorough hardening. 
While paint dries well on this surface, the lumber runs 
to occasional pitch pockets, into which paint penetrates 
very slowly. Over the sap and pitch pockets the paint 
dries very poorly, and unless ample time is given for 
thorough drying over these places the paint will break 
loose in a comparatively short time after the priming 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 73 

coat has been applied. These pitch pockets are easily 
detected by the coat spotting. Don't paint over such 
places until they become thoroughly dry. 

"Owing to the even, uniform grain and color in 
white pine satisfactory two-coat work can be done on 
this lumber." 

• The usual, I believe, proper method in priming- 
white pine is as follows : In the priming coat the ve- 
hicle should be proportioned 80 per cent, linseed oil 
and 20 per cent, turpentine, the paint light in body; 
second coat the same in vehicle, but the paint consider- 
ably heavier bodied ; third coat, 90 per cent, linseed oil 
and 10 per cent, turpentine, some recommending all oil 
in this coat. In my practice I found that the 10 per 
cent, turpentine enabled me to more fully control the 
proper application of this paint and it would dry 
harder by the use of the turpentine. Frequently in the 
eastern states we are called upon to give new wood- 
work four coats, that is, the priming coat and three ad- 
ditional coats. In that case my third coat would con- 
sist of 85 per cent, linseed oil, 15 per cent, turpentine; 
and the fourth or final coat would contain 10 per cent. 
turpentine. 

Painting Basswood. — Known in some localities as 
linn, or linden. It is becoming more generally used 
for exterior building. 

Basswood is straight, close-grained, and of compact 
structure. It is light, soft and tough, but not dura- 
ble. Tt is not difficult to season. 

Being a soft, close-grained wood, of medium absorb- 
ing qualities, it takes paint readily. 

Owing to its compact structure, the primer should 
be mixed thin and elastic, so as not to set up too 
quickly, and to allow time for the wood to be fully sat- 
isfied. 



74 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

The priming coat should be applied with a full 
brush, and should be well and evenly brushed out. 

Paint dries extra well on basswood lumber. 

Owing to the color, as well as the grain of the wood, 
satisfactory two-coat work can be done over this 
lumber. 

Painting Redwood. — This wood grows only in the 
State of California, and there in very restricted parts. 
It comes from the famous big trees, though of these 
there are two species. Sequoia Gigantica, or big tree, 
and Semper Virens, or ever living tree. It is from the 
latter trees that we get our redwood, as the wood from 
the former is valueless for building purposes. It is a 
durable wood, but seems to contain an acid, which acts 
upon paint and causes trouble. It is said, by its ad- 
mirers, that when properly painted this wood will 
show less change after years of wear than almost any 
other wood. Being free from pitch, it does hot easily 
take fire. It has a hard, non-absorbent figure or heart 
growth, with a soft body outside of that, hence the 
priming coats needs some benzole or turpentine with 
the oil to enable the primer to enter the harder parts. 
A good mixture would be 70 per cent, raw linseed oil, 
and 30 per cent, turpentine, adding one-half pint of 
benzole to the gallon of the mixed priming paint, re- 
ducing the amount of turpentine that much. Do not 
add the benzol until ready to use the paint, as it is a 
quick evaporator. Make the primer light, and brush 
well into the wood. 

An expert car painter says that a car made from 
redwood and painted in the usual manner of painting 
will blister and peel after a few hours' exposure to the 
sun. He now prepares the wood by priming it with a 
liquid made from raw linseed oil, with a pint of ben- 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 75 

zine to the gallon of oil. Any of this remaining on 
the surface after about two hours is wiped off. It is 
allowed then five days to become dry, after which it is 
coated with this paint: To 15 pounds flat lead color 
add 15 pounds drv litharge, mixed as follows: Add 
enough best coach japan to make the litharge about 
like mush, then pour it into the flat lead. Stir the 
mass and run through a paint mill, make fine as pos- 
sible, then thin to proper brushing consistency with 
turpentine, and apply three coats, one a day. This 
forms a hard and tough coating, proof against the 
acid of the redwood. 

Painting Cypress Wood. — This is a southern tree, 
Tax odium Distichum. Its leaves being narrow it is 
classed among the soft woods. Locally known as 
Bald, Black, White, Red, and Deciduous Cypress. Not 
as abundant as the pines. In its uses and appearance 
it is not unlike white cedar. Of a very durable nature. 
Really a sub-tropical swamp wood, being found often 
with a height of 130 feet and diameter of 12 feet. Ex- 
cellent wood for exterior finish, and with many mer- 
its recommending it for interior finish. Good color 
and free from sap. Straight grain, light and strong. 
Taking the place of white pine now. When exposed 
for a length of time on exterior and without protec- 
tion, it gets dark and unsightly, but of course it is 
nearly always painted. 

Prime this wood as soon as possible after it comes 
from the planer, for its grain soon rises under influ- 
ence of dampness in atmosphere, then it will be rough. 
The priming coat should be made from white lead 
thinned with raw oil and turpentine and a little drier. 
The addition of a pint of turpentine or benzol to the 
gallon of primer will make a better job. Some use 



76 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

only a coat of japan dryer, which makes a good sur- 
face on the wood. Others advise thinning lead with 
benzol only. If only oil is used with the primer the 
paint will dry in streaks, some dry and some not dry. 
After the primer apply two or three coats of white 
lead paint, a little turpentine in all but the last coat. 
Rub each coat out well. Interior cypress that is to be 
painted had better be primed with shellac varnish. 
Use grain alcohol shellac, white shellac preferred, and 
make it thin. Then rub down with fine sandpaper, 
after which apply the finishing coats. 

Be careful about adding driers to the priming coat, 
as we do not wish the paint to dry too fast, as the 
paint should have plenty of time for entering the wood 
before drying on the surface. The paint for cypress 
should be rather stiff and be well brushed into the 
wood. The primer may be thinned with raw oil 20 
per cent., and benzol or turpentine 80 per cent. 

Painting Yellow or Hard Pine. — There is said 
to be 39 varieties of pine in the United States. The 
pine used in building is variously known as Hard, Yel- 
low, Longleaf, Shortleaf, Southern, Norway, and Red 
Pine, according to the locality in which it grows. All 
are similar of structure as to their reception of paint, 
being a hard, heavy, tough, strong wood, coarse of 
grain, compact of structure, and very resinous. A 
very difficult wood to paint. In fact, it is not at all 
adapted for paint, and in former years was little used 
where paint was required. 

Southern painters claim to have discovered that if a 
certain amount of nine tar is added to the priming coat 
of paint there will be no scaling of the paint. They 
use one part of pure pine tar to seven pars of pure raw 



TEE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 77 

linseed oil. The paint is mixed quite thin, and is well 
rubbed into the wood. The priming is allowed a long 
time for drying, the longer the better, then it is fol- 
lowed by a coat of lead paint, made rather thin, tinting 
it slightly with lampblack, so that it will cover the 
wood better, if the finish is to be white or very light ; 
this coat is well brushed out, and when sufficient time 
has elapsed the third coat is applied, this time being 
rather stiffish, and without color, if to be left white. 
White lead is used in the priming and all succeeding 
coats. Avoid heavy coats, for they will cause blister- 
ing on hard pine. Two coats of paint on. a priming 
coat is usually enough to make a good finish. Use 
very little driers. 

A painter in Carter Times tells about a hard pine 
job he did, sandpapering and shellacing it, and the 
paint would not adhere ; so he removed paint and shel- 
lac down to the bare wood, and scraped and sand- 
papered the board again; then he primed with equal 
parts of white lead, in oil, and dry red lead, thinning 
with two parts raw oil and one part turpentine, form- 
ing a thin paint. He strained this, and rubbed it well 
into the wood. After this had become hard-dry he ap- 
plied two coats of white lead paint, and he had no fur- 
ther trouble with the job. He thought the red lead 
did the business, and perhaps it did. Many southern 
painters put a little pine tar in the priming for hard 
pine siding, and say it is a sure thing. 

First, where possible, the job ought to be allowed to 
stand to the weather for two or three weeks before 
painting. In this time the weather will dry out the 
wood, and season it, bleach out the pine sap, and open 
up the pores. 



78 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

If the painting must be done at once, then the torch 
should be used, to dry out the sap, which may then be 
scraped away. Then prime with equal parts of red 
and white lead, thinning mostly with turpentine. Some 
say use red lead alone, but it is apt to form too hard a 
surface, and not hold paint well. One painter ad- 
vises a coat of benzine to the bare wood before paint is 
applied. After applying" the benzine let the work stand 
a week. He adds that such a method will ensure a 
durable job. On any other wood the benzine treat- 
ment would result in causing the paint to peel. 

"Under all conditions, in priming hard pine, thinner 
mixtures and more turpentine must be used than 
would ordinarilv be employed in priming a hard sur- 
face, the amount of turpentine varying, according to 
the run of lumber, from 25 to 40 per cent, of the total 
amount of thinners used. Do not be afraid to use tur- 
pentine freely with this lumber, as this vehicle restores 
the life or vitality which nature has given it. 

Turpentine will assist in opening the pores of the 
wood and give greater depth of penetration, as well as 
carrying or driving the sap into the wood to a greater 
depth of binding on the hard or fat places. 

Apply the priming coat with a full brush and brush 
out well and evenly. Do not allow the brush to slip 
over the hard places, but work the paint well in. Ex- 
tra care must be taken in brushing - over this surface in 
order to even up the priming and not have too much 
pigment on the hard parts. 

If a building is allowed to stand for a short time be- 
fore priming the grain of the wood will raise and allow 
of better penetration. 

Paint dries very slowly on this lumber, and ample 
time must be allowed for thorough hardening and 
absorption. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 79 

Two-coat work can not be recommended, as thin 
coats are absolutely necessary to insure depth of pene- 
tration or binding. 

Three thin coats, well brushed out, will not leave an 
excess of paint on the surface, while two coats, which 
would necessarily have to be heavy in order to hide or 
even this uneven surface, will break away or scale in a 
comparatively short time." — From Practical Painting. 

"As I have before stated, I found quite a number of 
painters practicing and recommending the coating of 
Southern yellow pine all over with from one to two 
coats of shellac as a preventive of pitch coming to the 
surface of their paint. In theory this may sound good, 
but in actual practice it is bad, very bad. for in at- 
tempting to keep the pitch in the wood from interfer- 
ing with the paint you have elected a substantial barri- 
cade to keep the paint out, and from coming into con- 
tact with the wood you have set up an impregnable 
film or barrier between the wood and the paint. This 
shellac film being subject to the attack of a natural 
enemy, dampness, found both within and without, as 
no exterior building lumber is perfectly dry when 
erected. In fact, the rule is the reverse and dampness 
cannot fail to attack it from without at some period of 
the operation, the result being shortly a breaking down 
of the shellac with ruinous results to the paint ami 
woodwork. A discriminating use of shellac and 
dryer is recommended, and that each coat of paint be 
thorouglily dry before a subsequent one is applied. 
The practice of giving exterior new lumber but two 
coats of paint should be most strenuously condemned. 
In meeting lumber conditions it is a physical impossi- 
bility to give a satisfactory appearing job with two 
coats and meet conditions. It positively will not give 



80 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



the necessary protection for the wood. It should have 
at least three coats." — Ibid. 

For Oregon and Idaho pine and similar woods I 
would increase the percentage of oil to 55 per cent, for 
the priming coat, the turpentine reduced in proportion, 
but still adhering to the proportion of benzole. 

More trouble is brought about through the attempt 
to hide or cover this surface with heavy oil coatings 
than from any other cause. 

The absorption is very uneven, varying from quite 
rapid on the clear soft parts to very slow on the hard 
or fat parts. 

Where Georgia pine wainscoting is to go against a 
rather cold or damp wall, give it two coats of lead and 
oil paint ; a little turpentine will tend to make the paint 
harder, and a proportion of red lead might be an im- 
provement, causing the paint to dry better and make it 
hard. 

A lumber dealer in the hard pine district has given 
considerable attention tc the matter of painting on 
hard pine, and comes to the conclusion that to make a 
durable job the wood must have oil, and the wood 
must have such treatment as will enable it to take oil. 
First, he primes the bare wood with turpentine. This 
causes the wood to become absorbtive of paint. Then 
he mixes up "some good pigment," which he does not 
describe, with pure raw linseed oil to form a stiff bat- 
ter. This he then reduces to a proper consistency with 
turpentine, this forming the first or priming coat. The 
oil in the mixture prevents too rapid evaporation of 
the turpentine, while the latter opens the pores of the 
wood and allows the paint to enter. In ten days the 
next coat of paint may be given, using pure raw linseed 
oil and any desired pigment. He says a barn painted 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 81 

in this manner has stood for three years, shows no 
signs of scaling-, and is in first-class condition. But 
battens on the barn, of Norway pine, were not treated 
with the tutpentine priming, and the paint is scaling 
from them. 

As a rule, the heartwood of trees is more receptive 
to paint than the sapwood, a notable exception being 
vellow pine, the sapwood of which costs less than the 
heart and takes paint better ; therefore, if protected by 
paint, it will last longer in frame buildings. The rail 
road people who are progressive have found this out, 
and are rapidly substituting sapwood for heart-wood 
in freight-car construction. We are surprised to learn 
that many reputable architects in the Southern States 
still specify the heartwood of yellow pine for siding 
upon houses of the best class. 

Painting on Elm. — A tough, fibrous, durable, 
strong, hard, heavy and often cross-grained wood. 
While used extensively for heavy timber and struct- 
ural work, it is not used to any great extent for ex- 
terior building. Heartwood, light brown; sapwood, 
yellowish white. Seasons moderately slow and takes 
paint readily on account of its fibrous nature. For 
priming, the reduction should be to a medium thin 
consistency, carrying sufficient turpentine to assist in 
penetration and working. The priming coat should 
be applied with a full brush and be well and evenly 
brushed out. The paint dries well on this lumber, but 
ample time must be given for thorough hardening. 
Satisfactory two-coat work can be done over this sur- 
face if judgment is used in reducing the priming coat 
and the surface fully satisfied and evened up. 

Removing Old Paint From Weatherboards. — 
If the paint which is to be gone over is sticky, cracked 



82 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

or blistered, it must be removed clean to the wood, if 
yon want good results. If there is but one to four 
coats on the object which is to be painted, and it is 
sticky, it can be washed thoroughly with a solution of 
two pounds of sal soda to a gallon of warm water. Use 
an old paint brush and lots of elbow grease to apply 
the soda water. This takes off all dirt and grease and 
hardens the old paint. Leave the soda water on at 
least an hour, so it has a chance to eat in, and harden 
the coats below. After it has stood an hour or more 
rinse it thoroughly with clean water, sandpaper and 
give it a good coat of cider vinegar. Coat the work 
with lead thinned three-quarters turpentine and one- 
quarter oil. Over this apply your paint as you would 
over any priming. I have had very good results in 
treating my work in the above manner. 

If there are more than four coats of old paint on, it 
must come off to the wood. Some claim they can use 
paint remover. This, however, is very expensive. A 
solution of lye or potash is much cheaper, but this 
makes too much muss. To rinse it off you must use 
lots of water, which floods the lawn, walks, etc. 

Painting Poplar Wood. — This, I think, is the 
very best substitute for white pine. I have painted 
the exterior of house finished in poplar, and the condi- 
tion of the old paint was very satisfactory. It is a 
soft wood, stiff, clear, fine and straight of grain. Sea- 
sons well and shrinks very little. An intelligent car- 
penter informs me that poplar is apt to warp, hence it 
is not so desirable as white pine, but this may involve 
only a variety of poplar, either the white or yellow. 
As far as I can tell, it has most of the characteristics 
of white pine in its behavior toward paint. The 
priming should be the same as for white pine, and be 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 83 

applied the same. Paint dries well on this wood, and 
if of a good surface as to streaks or color, two-coat 
work can be done satisfactorily over it. 

Painting Cottonwood. — While this wood re- 
sembles poplar in many of its features, yet it is less de- 
sirable, owing to the difficulty of seasoning it and its 
liability to warp, besides which it absorb? moisture 
readily, and exposure to the weather for any consid- 
erable length of time will result in its decay and dark- 
ening; it must be protected fully by paint. Being also 
subject to dry rot if any moisture is in it when paint 
is applied, the rot will proceed beneath the paint. The 
priming coat should contain plenty of oil and be allow- 
ed a long time for drying, so that the wood may be- 
come saturated with the oil, which will tend to pre- 
serve the wood from decay. Two-coat work cannot 
be done with satisfaction on this wood. All in all, it 
would seem to be very good wood for structural pur- 
poses, at least as regards its painting. 

Painting on Spruce. — A house covered with 
spruce clapboards should not be painted until it has 
stood thirty days or more. If cracking or shrinking 
of the wood is to occur, it should be found out at this 
stage, and putty would remedy the trouble. 

If a rain storm should thoroughly soak the wood, it 
would cause little or no harm. On the contrary, it 
would open up the pores of the wood that had been 
calendered or rolled down by the machine that cut and 
smoothed the clapboards, and afford a better founda- 
tion for the paint than the smooth hard clapboard. 

A little more turpentine may be added for priming 
coats on spruce wood, as it is quite hard by nature. 
Five per cent, of benzol might be added for penetra- 
tion. 



84 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

It often occurs that the owner or builder of a new 
house insists on having spruce clapboards or weather- 
boards primed almost as soon as they are nailed on. 
In such cases cold water may be added to the priming 
color ; about one pint to one-half gallon of paint. This 
water will not thoroughly mix with the paint, but will 
be distributed through it in small globules. The paint 
should be frequently stirred. 

An old painter of my acquaintance frequently said 
that "the man who did not know how to use water in 
his paint did not know his business." 

The addition of the water to the oil paint is to pro- 
duce mechanical results, and is not intended in any 
way to cheapen the paint or to cheat the customer. 
Linseed oil paint, however well brushed, cannot be 
driven into the pores of hard spruce wood, especially 
if the wood is sappy. The addition of the water, when 
worked against the wood by the brush, opens the 
pores of the wood and gives the paint a firm lodgment. 
Moreover, sappy and wet clapboards painted in this 
manner will dry out flat, allowing a better foundation 
for succeeding coats, while pure oil paint will dry 
glossy on every clapboard where the fibre is hard or 
sap is pronounced. Such places will ultimately 
loosen and throw off all paint, as the pigment cannot 
attach itself to the fibre of the wood. — Win. E. Wall. 

Notes on Priming Woodwork 

— Better prime the woodwork, interior, before the 
plasterer gets to work. 

— Never use zinc priming on bare wood, for it will 
cause scaling of the subsequent coats of paint. 

— It is bad practice to use odds and ends of paint for 
priming good work with, though it may do well 
enough on rough brick work. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 85 

— To prime redwood use white lead thinned with 
raw oil and at least ten per cent, of turpentine, or ben- 
zol. 

— Use raw oil in priming, not boiled oil, and give 
the wood all it will absorb. 

— There is nothing as good for interior and exter- 
ior priming as white lead that is pure and finely ground 
in oil. 

— Red lead is the only pigment that may be used dry 
and mixed with oil, etc., for priming with; other pig- 
ments are too coarse without grinding; white lead 
need not be used in the dry state. 

— For the best inside priming where first-class work 
is to be done thin white lead with raw oil two-thirds, 
and turpentine one-third. 

— When priming clapboards be sure to do the under 
edges of the weather boards, and avoid fat edges and 
runs : wipe any off as they appear. 

— For priming old work add a little red lead to the 

white lead, for it will stick better than white lead alone. 

— Old exterior work having the paint well worn off 

may be primed with raw oil, no pigment, and when dry 

apply a thin coat of paint. 

— Outside priming should consist mainly of raw oil, 
but should have enough lead to make a foundation for 
the finish, 

— Boiled oil will dry in from 3 to 10 hours, and has 
a varnish-like body, hence is not fit for priming coats. 
The oil must penetrate well and fill the wood. 

— Cypress is an oily or gummy wood, and will not 
take oil paint well, the paint not sinking in nor drying 
well. Some prime with shellac, others use raw oil" one 
part and turpentine or benzole three parts. 

—In damp weather the priming coat may have more 
driers than usual, but not too much. In cold weather 



86 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

the same, with a little turpentine to assist penetration. 

— A primer that is too stout will cause brush laps 
and cannot be brushed into the wood; the laps will 
show up under a dozen coats. 

— The priming coat will be the better for being 
mixed the day before ; strain before using ; use very lit- 
tle pigment. 

— Cheap ochre takes little oil, hence makes a hard 
and scaley surface. Best ochre takes much oil in 
grinding, hence is best for priming - when you must 
use ochre. Better not use ochre of any kind for 
priming coats. 

— White lead thinned with raw oil and no driers 
makes the best for all soft woods ; in damp or cold 
weather add a little red lead, enough to give the lead 
a slightly pink cast. Or a little good driers will do. 

— Some painters never use turpentine on priming 
coats, others never use any driers. 

— Thin priming applied to hard wood will run; 
make it stiffer than for soft wood and brush it out well. 

— Many painters tint the priming to approximate 
the finish coat, which may be darker or lighter as the 
finish coat may be. By tinting each coat of paint one 
can see better if any miss has been made, and the paint 
covers more solid in color by this arrangement. 

— No ready-mixed or store paint is fit to prime with, 
nor indeed is it ever made for that purpose. Take this 
case for example, and one may see how impossible it 
would be to thin down such a paint for priming : White 
lead 56 parts; barytes, 28 parts; iron oxide 10 parts, 
white lead 6 parts. This paint was thinned with badly 
adulterated linseed oil and adulterated turpentine. 

— Never apply the priming coat with a new brush, 
for it will not spread it evenly nor brush it into the 
wood; it will leave bare parts and ridges, and these 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 87 

will show up in subsequent coats. Never use a flat 
wall brush for priming". 

— Old surfaces, exterior woodwork, may with ad- 
vantage be wetted before priming, as some painters 
practice it, using" a calcimine or wall brush, the water 
causing the wood fibers to swell and close up, making a 
more solid surface for the paint. The priming then 
should contain much oil and ample driers. 

— As an old and very absorbent surface sucks the oil 
out of the paint, leaving a more or less lifeless coating", 
it is best to size with glue size, then with the priming 
coat. Some advise two coats of strong size, and then 
the priming coat of oil paint. This would be better in 
our opinion than wetting the wood. 

Painting New Wooden Buildings. — The consid- 
eration of the character and condition of the surface is 
the most important factor in the work. The kind of 
lumber used in the construction of the building should 
be carefully studied. Determine whether hard open- 
grain or hard close-grain ; soft close-grain or soft 
open-grain ; soft and spongy, compact or solid ; also 
whether it is kiln- or air-dried lumber; if kiln-dried, 
and the drying process has been carried on too rapidly, 
the wood may have become case-hardened, leaving it 
brittle and lifeless. The lumber having thus lost part 
of its vitality or physical strength, the paint must be 
mixed to a consistency which will penetrate to a 
depth that will insure satisfactory results. If the paint 
is of a heavy consistency, and lies on the surface, the 
fibers of the wood will break away through contrac- 
tion and expansion, bringing the paint with it. This 
trouble is always laid to the paint, while the real cause 
is that the priming coat was not properly reduced 
when applied, so it would penetrate to a sufficient 
depth to insure proper binding. 



88 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

Wood that has been air-seasoned has had little or no 
opportunity to lose any of its strength or vitality, and 
it will hold paint well, if the priming is properly re- 
duced and is thoroughly brushed into the grain. 

It is impossible to have all of a building constructed 
from lumber from the same tree and from boards of 
the same physical strength. Part of the lumber may 
be kiln-dried and case-hardened ; part may be air- 
dried ; part of the logs may have been cut in winter, 
when sap was down, and part in summer, when the 
sap was up. 

While it is not practicable to have separate mixes of 
paint for the various characters of lumber in the same 
building, it is practicable and necessary to examine the 
work to be painted and note its characteristics as to 
absorption and drying qualities ; also the condition of 
the lumber — whether old, discolored, and partly de- 
cayed from lying in the log too long before being cut 
or in some damp place after it had been cut into lum- 
ber. Carefully consider whether two or three coats 
are necessary in order to produce satisfactory results. 

It is impossible to do satisfactory two-coat work on 
certain kinds of lumber. A priming coat mixed heavy 
enough to assist in hiding the dark spots or grain will 
not contain sufficient oil or thinners to fully satisfy 
the wood, and the wood would soon rob the paint of its 
oil or binder. The priming coat being applied heavy 
will not allow sufficient penetration of the second 
coat to assist in supplying the wood with sufficient oil 
to hold the paint to the surface, thus resulting in the 
paint breaking loose in scales, elastic on the outside 
and lifeless on the side that was next to the wood. — 
From Practical Painting. 




THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 89 



RE=PAINTING 

OME customers believe in one coat of 
paint every two years. They have fol- 
lowed this method for several years. One 
should never try to argue the matter with 
them, for if they are satisfied the painter 
certainly should be. But it is wrong, both in theory 
and practice. It would be much better did they re- 
paint every four year instead and use two coats. No 
one can get a first-class job with one coat over paints 
which have been exposed for over two years. It will 
show brush marks, particularly close to the frames and 
corner strips, where there is no chance to brush them 
out. Other objections are, the old paint underneath 
absorbs the oil and the gloss soon fades. There must 
be a certain amount of oil in the last coat. If there is 
not, the pigment soon begins to chalk and wear off. 
Considering the time that paint should look well, two 
coats, applied two years apart, will look as well for as 
long a time as three coats applied every four years. 

Trim or Body First? — It has often been noticed 
that in perhaps a majority of cases, painters when at 
work upon a house, paint the body, or at least a course 
of it, before they begin to put on the trimming color. 
It is proper to trim some parts of a house last, but on 
other parts it is more convenient to put on the trim- 
ming color before the body color is applied. 

As a rule, in putting a coat of more than one color 
on a house at one operation, paint the cornice first, the 
body next, and lastly the corner strips and frames. 
.This is a small matter and seems to be not worth 



90 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



mentioning; still there are many who put on all the 
finishing coat before they do any trimming. Many 
allow the body coat to dry before trimming. In 
either case it requires moving and placing the ladders 
and scaffolds twice where once would do if they finish- 
ed at once as they went. 

When you strike the old frame house that has been 
neglected for years, it is important to take into con- 
sideration the conditions of the building. For in- 
stance, the south side will be far more porous than the 
north side, the upper part of the weather boarding 
under the cornice will be in better condition than the 
lower part next to the "water table," etc. 

No outside painting should be second coated within 
48 hours, and 96 hours is better. Raw oil is far the 
best for paint, with a little good japan drier added in 
cold weather. On the first coat add one-fifth turpen- 
tine to your lead and oil and see that paint is well pad- 
dled before using. 

If spruce is primed with yellow ochre instead of 
white lead it will cause blisters to form in 20 years 
from the time the paint is applied, if repainted once or 
twice during the interval. Spruce clapboarding 
primed and painted with white lead will very rarely 
blister, and then only when moisture from below 
causes the paint to lift up from the wood. — Win. E. 
Wall. 

"Each coat should be put on before the previous 
coat is thoroughly hard. My reason for this is as fol- 
lows : If your first coat is thoroughly hard the second 
coat will not penetrate but will only stick. If the 
under coat is not too hard the second coat will soften 
the first, let the oil and pigment penetrate through it« 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 91 

to the wood, thereby cementing it thoroughly to the 
first coat. As soon as the oil is out of the pigment, it 
begins to chalk, there being nothing to hold it. My 
method of three-coat work makes it possible to get 
more oil in than can possibly be put in with two-coat 
work." — Correspondence. 

To do a first-class dead flat job mix the zinc in tur- 
pentine and let it stand over night. Then draw off 
the liquid and mix again, drawing off the liquid as be- 
fore, after it has stood some hours. In this way you 
can abstract the oil sufficiently to prevent it from in- 
fluencing the job. The less oil the better in dead flat, 
as a trace of oil is sure to discolor the white in time. 

For inside painting use the finest ground lead, and 
strain the paint. Pure or straight white lead alone 
should be used, and the addition of white zinc of good 
quality is recommended to give the paint whiteness 
where white paint is used. Where delicate tints are 
to be used we advise using zinc alone, as it gives the 
finest results in tinting. Zinc may also be used inside 
in place of white lead, if objection is made to the 
poisonous character of lead. Zinc covers more sur- 
face than lead, but does not cover it as well. Zinc 
takes up more oil than lead. It is also a poor drier, 
and this must be taken into account when using it. 
Use driers more liberally with zinc than white lead. 
Lead and linseed oil are both natural driers, and hence 
lead oil paint needs little drier on inside work. 

Where an oil tinted job is to be done and the work 
is in fair condition, and one coat will not do, let the 
first coat be light and made somewhat flat, then the 
second coat may be made of oil, not very stout. The 
result will be a nice glossy job, solid and smooth. 
First sandpaper the old work, dust off and putty up 



92 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

any defects. Never apply more paint in any case than 
may actually be needed. Thin coats of paint look bet- 
ter and wear better. This applies to inside and out- 
side work alike. 

Painting In Cold Weather. — Many painters are 
careless in the fall and winter. They are in such a 
hurry to cover the surface, get the job done, that they 
do not brush their color out even enough. You cannot 
be too careful in applying paint in frosty weather. If 
not properly brushed out, paint put on in cold weather 
will, upon your return the next day, present a wrink- 
led appearance, through the over-surplus of paint left 
on, having been affected by the frost. 

Painting Old Weatherboarding. — For very old 
weatherboarding the following is a good formula : Take 
20 pounds of whiting and mix it into a stiff paste with 
one-half water and one-half benzine. Break up 50 
pounds of white lead and add this to your whiting, 
paddle it till it is a stiff paste, then thin with one-half 
linseed oil and one-half sweet milk. Put in the milk 
first, a little at a time, so that it will be absorbed be- 
fore putting any more in. Apply with a brush the 
same as any other paint, being careful to keep it even. 

You will find that this will slip much easier than or- 
dinary paint, and you will be surprised at what a good 
surface this will leave. Second-coat with straight 
white lead and linseed oil. You will find that you can 
get a smooth, good-looking and durable job with two 
coats; where it would take three if you used straight 
lead and oil, and even then it would not be as smooth. 

If pure primary colors are required to be applied 
with the full depth of tone, the painter must not make 
the mistake of adding white lead or any other white 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 93 

base to lighten it, since the addition of any solid base 
to a semi-transparent pigment will ruin its luminosity, 
or, in other words, the amount of light that it reflects 
from its surface. Of course, what is here alluded to is 
the depth of a solid color, such as red, yellow, or blue, 
as it would appear when painted. If, however, the 
real depth of any pure color is required, such as we 
might see if the same color was thinned to the proper 
consistency and viewed through a glass vessel, then we 
could only obtain this effect by glazing — that is, by 
applying a suitably colored ground many shades 
lighter than the desired finish, and sometimes of a 
different color, according to the result desired, and 
upon this to apply a transparent coat of the real color. 
When red, yellow or blue paints are required they 
must be mixed from the pure primary colors in the 
same manner as the preceding example of white paint ; 
thinning according to' the effect desired. In wintry 
weather and when using dark colors, a liquid instead 
of a paste drier may be used with advantage. 

Regarding red lead as a primer, we no not know 
that it possesses any advantages over white lead as 
priming for ordinary wood work. Most painters 
omit red lead from priming, and possibly the work is 
just as good without it. For hard wood its use in 
priming is advisable. Red lead, it is true, gives a 
harder surface than white lead ; but this is sometimes 
a disadvantage, especially when a long period is al- 
lowed to elapse before second coating. In this case 
the priming gets so hard that it has no affinity with the 
coats which follow. The result is blistering". Doors 
and window frames which are generally primed prior 
to being built into a house, will be frequently found to 
blister when subsequent coats are applied. These blis- 



94 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

ters go not to the wood but to the priming, showing 
that the trouble is not that the priming does not hold 
to the wood, but that the second coat does not hold to 
the priming". 

The priming, or first coat of paint on outside work 
is very important, for upon its character depends the 
future life of paint, granting" that other things are 
equal. The pigment should be white lead of the very 
best quality ; the lead should then be tinted with color 
to agree with the finishing color. The lead should be 
mixed with pure raw linseed oil, adding a little japan 
drier of the best quality. A mistake is often made in 
adding" far too much driers. The effect is to dry the 
paint before it has full opportunity to penetrate the 
wood as fully as it should. An article recently ap- 
peared in a paint trade magazine advocating that the 
wood be made wet with water before the priming coat 
is applied, the theory being that then the lead and oil 
will not sink awa)^ into the wood and be lost, but will 
remain on top and form a good surface for the suc- 
ceeding coats. 

Two-coat Work as Compared With Three. — 
Experiments have shown that three coats of paint 
properly applied are in every instance far better than 
two. In tests of outside white, where the coats were 
put on with the proper reduction, a pronounced lack of 
hiding was noted. To overcome this deficiency in an- 
other series of tests the paint was flowed on heavily, 
while in a third the paint applied was heavy bodied. 

The last two tests did not wear as well as the first, 
suggesting the lesson that it is always necessary to 
thoroughly brush out the paint, applying a minimum 
coat rather than the heaviest possible. Furthermore, 
it proves that two properly applied coats, while making 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 95 

a film lacking- in hiding, will wear better than the two 
heavy coats, and finally it shows that three coats are 
far superior to two, whether considered from a deco- 
rative or protective standpoint. These tests further 
demonstrated the object in mind of obtaining a found- 
ation within the lumber rather than a coat possessing 
hiding properties. 

The surface for repainting on a three-coat test was 
very good, while that of two coats was unsatisfactory 
and of a treacherous nature. 

Service of White Paint as Compared With 
Tints. — A lesson which is of interest to the property 
owner, and which the master painter should bear in 
mind when advising a prospective customer regarding 
a color scheme for his home, concerns the very notice- 
able difference in wear between a white and tinted 
paint. Practical tests have consistently demonstrated 
the superiority of tints over an outside white. 

Although several explanations have been suggested, 
no conclusive evidence has been advanced that will sat- 
isfactorily account for this condition. In gray tints 
the addition of lamp black, which is in itself a durable 
paint pigment; or in reds or yellows the addition of 
the natural oxides, pigments which also give good 
service, may account for the improvement in wear. 
One point which has been established in this connec- 
tion is that the finest ground oxides influence the long- 
est wear. 

It is especially noteworthy that while white paints 
on a test fence showed marked disintegration at the 
end of three years, a red and green color are in good 
condition at the end of that time. The latter retain 
their original color, have a good general appearance 
and show no signs of deterioration. 



96 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

Wherever a colored paint can be consistently used 
it will prove advisable from a decorative standpoint, 
and furthermore, because of longer service it has the 
still greater recommendation of ultimate economy to 
promote their extended use. 

Turps on Outside Paint. — A little turpentine add- 
ed to outside paint is all right, and may serve a good 
purpose, but we would not use it excepting in special 
cases, say in winter, when it would help harden and 
dry the paint more quickly, as oil paint dries very 
slowly in very cold weather, though that is no fault, 
and is objectionable only when you want to apply 
another coat and finish up the job. Then in priming 
coats whether to use some turps or not will depend 
upon the sort of wood we are dealing with. A soft 
wood should have no turps added to the primer, while 
a hard wood, like yellow pine and some kinds of cy- 
press, should have some. Turpentine may also be 
used in connection with boiled oil for outside painting, 
as it makes with the oil a denser film of paint than the 
oil alone ; it hardens the paint, and makes it much more 
water-proof. Again, if considerable driers are used 
in the outside paint, then omit all turpentine. 

"I don't see how anyone can successfully do a three- 
coat job without using turpentine in the first and sec- 
ond coats. It can be omitted in the last coat. I am 
often limited to two-coat, work, and in that case I get 
along without turpentine, excepting in cold weather. 
I think the trouble some are having with wrinkling 
and crawling is caused from the lack of turpentine in 
the under coats, especially so with dark colors and 
boiled oil. I use raw oil for everything possible — I 
like it best for many reasons. "- 

It is useful, many of our best painters say, in paint 
that is to go under porches and on the north side of 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 97 

houses. It certainly hardens the paint, and if a good 
gloss is desired in the last coat, it may be well to put a 
good deal of it in the preceding coat, though where 
raw oil is used this will not by any means be necessary, 
if you will allow the preceding coat plenty of time to 
dry and harden in. In fact, allowing a week, or even 
more, for each coat to dry in would give as hard a sur- 
face as could be desired. Then there is the matter of 
cost; turpentine is very expensive these days, and if 
we can do without it we should, or use a good substi- 
tute. 

Sizing Knots. — Gum shellac dissolved in alcohol 
and applied thin will usually suffice to prevent the 
rosin or turpentine in the knot from coming through 
the paint, but it is not sure where the sun can get at 
it, for the heat will draw the sap through the shellac, 
and raise a blister. Even when the knot is sized with 
oil size, and gold, silver or aluminum leaf is laid, the 
sun may raise it. Some add a little red lead to the 
shellac, both for inside and outside use. For inside use, 
glue and red lead make a good knotting. The very best 
way to treat knots is to apply heat, say a hot iron, and 
draw the sap, all you can, and then oil-size the knot 
and lay on a leaf. Or draw the sap and give it a coat 
of shellac varnish. 

White or bleached shellac has less strength or sizing 
power than the brown or orange shellac; the former is 
also sometimes adulterated with water-white rosin, 
and hence is still weaker. This accounts for some, if 
not all, cases where the paint over the shellac knots 
shows through in a year or so. 

The following lis from an old and experienced 
painter, who claims to have had good results from it : 
"Mix equal parts by measure of finely powdered red 



98 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

lead, white lead, and bolted whiting' with a third each 
of raw linseed oil, coach japan and turpentine, strain 
and apply." 

Knots not onl-" have to be sized to prevent exuda- 
tion of sap, but they have ends of grain that are very 
porous, and hence a filling must be applied to prevent 
suction. 

Another cause for knots showing through after 
having had one and even two coats of shellac may be 
ascribed to the condition of the lumber, which is usu- 
ally far from being dry, and shellac, particularly white 
shellac, is weak in the presence of dampness. Where 
the paint is dark enough you can use orange shellac, 
and this is much better than the bleached shellac, as 
already pointed out. 

The mixture of red and white lead and whiting, 
previously noted, it should be explained, is to be mixed 
to about the consistency of stiff paint, and run through 
a fine mesh strainer; apply two coats for best results, 
before priming. 

There is nothing better to apply on ordinary knots 
and pitchy places in boards than good grain alcohol 
shellac. Two thin coats of the shellac is much better 
than one heavy coat. Particularly bad knots are surely 
killed by covering them with some good outside var- 
nish or g"old size and letting it remain until "tacky," 
then laying on medium tin foil and burnishing. Let 
this dry thoroughly before applying the paint. 

Winter Painting. — Whether exterior painting in 
cold weather is as durable as when done in the spring- 
time depends a good deal upon the weather. As long 
as the temperature is above the freezing point, and the 
atmosphere is dry, so that the paint does not require 
too much turpentine to keep it from creeping and make 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 99 

it work easy, and if the paint is well rubbed out, there 
will be no trouble about its wearing. But paint can 
never be applied successfully to a frosty or damp sur- 
face. It requires a little larger proportion of turpen- 
tine for thinning the paint for cold weather work in 
order to counteract the tendency of the oil to congeal 
or thicken. Winter painting also requires a little ex- 
tra brushing. 

If you use kettle boiled linseed oil for winter paint- 
ing, we would add just a little drier — about one-fourth 
of a pint to one hundred pounds of lead. 

Where raw linseed oil is used, our specifications 
show for old outside work one pint of pure turpentine 
japan drier to one hundred pounds of lead for both 
priming and finishing coats. For new outside work 
to one hundred pounds of lead one and one-half pints 
of drier may be used for each coat. In winter use 
one-fourth to one-half pint of drier additional for any 
coat. 

Generally when the gloss is taken off of paint by 
frost it is only the surface gloss, and probably does no 
harm, and the gloss may be restored by rubbing over 
the spots with a cheesecloth moistened with raw lin- 
seed oil, a little turpentine and drier. 

Amount of Time Between Coats. — Linseed oil in 
drying takes something from the air, viz., oxygen, and 
gives off something to the air, viz. : carbon-dioxide 
and water. Mulder describes the process beautifully, 
and calls it "the breathing of the drying oils." The 
tilings favorable to the drying of oil paints are light, 
pure dry air, and moderate artificial heat. The things 
unfavorable to the drying of oil paints are a humid at- 
mosphere, darkness, noxious gases, and low tempera- 
ture. The amount of time which should l)e allowed 



100 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

to elapse between coatings of any given oil-paint will 
vary so much with the location of the structure, the 
kind and condition of the surface, the quality of the 
paint, the atmospheric conditions when the painting 
is done, that it is obvious no set period of time can be 
named. However, a painter who is interested in his 
work can always determine whether one coating is fit 
to receive another by noting its luster, the time when 
the paint no longer sticks to the dry skin of the finger, 
and the time when the layer cannot be removed under 
heavy pressure. Blistering, cracking, and peeling of 
paint are often due to the fact that under coats were 
too elastic when they were painted over. If a piece of 
work be painted coat upon coat of oil color before each 
coat is sufficiently dry, the movement and shifting of 
the under coats in their effort to obtain oxygen for 
their proper hardening will either rupture, i. e., crack, 
the top coats or lift them up in the form of blisters. 
Four days is not too much to allow for the proper dry- 
ing of oil color which will nominally dry in twenty- 
four hours. The period may be shortened by addi- 
tional driers, but a good rule is to allow all paint to 
stand four times as long as it takes to arrive at super- 
ficial dryness. 

Doing a White Finish Job. — The first step in se- 
curing a good job of white inside finish is to see that 
the woodwork is perfectly clean and smooth, and that 
all knots and sappy places have one, or even two coats 
of white shellac; and if possible the entire surface 
should be shellaced, after which the job is ready for 
the priming coat of zinc white, with thinners of oil 
two parts and turps one part, mixed together, and just 
enough patent drier added to insure its drying in good 
time. When dry, make smooth with fine sand-paper, 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 101 

dust off, putty up, then give another coat of white shel- 
lac. If you put the shellac on the wood first, all over 
it, the grain of the wood will be raised, and this will 
make it more difficult to make a smooth job. By put- 
ting on the zinc priming first you avoid this trouble. 
Now you may proceed with the successive coats of 
zinc, using less oil and more turps with each coat, the 
last coat being all turps, or dead flat. For a special 
fine job, have your zinc paint for the last coat mixed a 
day or two before. When ready to apply it pour off 
the turps and mix again with all turps, adding a little 
white copal varnish to bind the paint. This may now 
be coated with damar varnish, for China gloss. Or 
left flat. If you wish to polish the job, then more 
than one coat of varnish will be necessary, using pol- 
ishing varnish. 

Lead is often used for the first coat or two on such 
work, on account of its greater body, bringing up the 
work quicker, but it is safer to avoid all lead on such 
work, as it will discolor the job in time, and hence zinc 
is best, though it takes a coat or two more to get the 
same finish. 

Method of Application Important. — The 
method of application is about as important as the 
quality of the paint used, for the reason that a layer of 
air and water which it may hold exists upon all sur- 
faces. This layer of air prevents close adherence of 
the paint to the surface and it can only be gotten rid 
of by thoroughly brushing the paint out on the sur- 
face and in to the body of the material underneath. 
The personal equation always counts in painting, as it 
does in almost everything else. From experiments 
with an ocular micrometer in connection with a micro- 
scope, we find that single coats of the same paint may 



102 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

vary in thickness from 1/5000 in. to 1/1000 in. The 
variations in thickness from these extremes and inter- 
mediate points are due to the varying pressure of the 
brush under the hands of the painter. Much of the 
poor work done nowadays results from the quality of 
the tools purchased by or supplied to the painters. We 
insist that a good workman to do good work must 
have good tools to work with, that is, brushes not over 
three and one-half inches wide and full or thick with 
good stiff bristles. For the highest class of work we 
prefer ''pound brushes," that is, round brushes with 
good, stiff Okatka bristles in them, not less than six 
inches long. With one of these, properly bridled, a 
painter can do more and better work in a day than it is 
possible for him to do with the ordinary flat brush 
that is usually furnished him, and which costs a little 
less. The good workman will always pay special at- 
tention to the coating of edges, and those parts of a 
structure where water and dirt will lodge, and to the 
filling in of all crevices, beads, and mouldings, to pre- 
vent the incursion of water. These hidden parts are 
often the vital ones in bridges or in buildings of steel 
cage construction, and they are those which have the 
most vigilent and constant attention. — Houston Lowe. 

Good Painting Rules. — The fundamental prin- 
ciple of good painting is that paint must be properly 
thinned and then carefully brushed out. It is better 
by far to have paint thinned with pure linseed oil and 
spirits of turpentine and brushed out too thin to cover 
well than to flow on thick coats of heavy paint which 
temporarily look better, but very soon are likely to in- 
duce cracking and peeling and forever after prevent 
the surface from being properly repainted unless all of 
the heavy undercoating is burned off or otherwise re- 
moved. Let it be remembered, then : 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 103 

First — That to insure good results on new or very 
old, spongy surfaces there must be sufficient pure raw- 
linseed oil used in the first and second coats of any 
paint to properly fill the wood and arrest the absorp- 
tion of the oil and binder from the paint film, still leav- 
ing enough oil to bind the pigment thoroughly, and 
that where an)- new surfaces are hard and resinous a 
liberal percentage of pure spirits of turpentine must be 
added to the first and second coats to insure adequate 
penetration and assist the drying to a proper "face" or 
surface for recoating. 

Second — That on all work which has been previ- 
ously painted and presents a hard, impervious surface, 
equal parts of pure spirits of turpentine and pure raw 
linseed oil must be used in reducing the first coat to a 
thin consistency, to secure proper penetration and 
homogenous drying of the new coat of paint. 

Third — That elbow grease must be used to spread 
any paint out into thin coats and brush it well into the 
pores of the wood. Unless so spread satisfactory re- 
sults cannot be insured. 

Fourth — That a much more satisfactory and dura- 
blue job can be done with a round or oval brush than 
with a long, wide wall brush. 

Fifth — That under no circumstances should a new 
house be painted, inside or outside, before wet base- 
ment or the plaster has dried out. It should be borne 
in mind that every yard of green plaster contains 
nearly a gallon of water, and unless thorough ventila- 
tion is given and the moisture is allowed to evaporate 
and escape in that way it must necessarily escape 
through the wood (which may have been thoroughly 
dry when put on), and the result must inevitably be 
blistering or peeling. 



104 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

. Sixth— That painting during or following soon 
after dew or heavy frost or fog or in any heavy, damp 
atmosphere is likely to produce unsatisfactory results, 
as dry wood absorbs moisture very rapidly. 

Seventh — Not to apply a coat of paint and let it 
stand a year or so before a subsequent one is applied, 
as it will have weathered sufficietly in that time to ab- 
sorb some of the elasticity of the succeeding coats, so 
that the final coats cannot be so satisfactory. 

Eighth — Again, don't apply a coat of paint and let 
it stand until it is bone hard before continuing the 
work; one coat should follow another within reason- 
able time until the work is finished. If the under sur- 
face is allowed to get too hard it will not have the 
proper tooth which would allow the succeeding coats 
to get a grip or hold on it. 

Ninth — Yellow ochre and other oxides are totally 
unfit for use as primers on any work which will be 
subsequently coated with lead or zinc colors, for the 
reason that when mixed dry they do not combine read- 
ily with linseed oil, and many of the particles unless 
ground are never thoroughly saturated, the result be- 
ing that after applied to the surface the absorption of 
the oil by such particles and the surface to be painted 
leaves the film of ochre or oxide without any binder, 
brittle and lifeless. 

Painting Over Burnt Surface. — When painters 
are called upon to repaint a cracking and scaling sur- 
face, the only satisfactory way is to burn the paint to 
the bare wood. This leaves all of the surface practi- 
cally new, and if the character of the work is under- 
stood, good results can be accomplished. 

All paints when burned, however, do not leave sur- 
faces in the same condition, and the character of the 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 105 

same must be understood before the priming coat is 
mixed. 

It has been my experience that boiled oil is not satis- 
factory to use in a paint applied over a burned sur- 
face — it does not penetrate but lays on the surface and 
will soon cause cracking. These troubles are then 
often laid to dampness or to the paint itself, but I am 
of the opinion that the true cause is from the paint 
not having been properly reduced or applied over the 
surface. 

In painting over a burned surface, I secure the best 
results by using a thin priming coat mixed on the basis 
of about 6^ gallons of raw linseed oil and i gallon 
pure turpentine to 100 pounds of lead. 

Second coat, 4 to 5 gallons pure raw linseed oil, ^ 
gallon pure turpentine to 100 pounds of lead. 

Third coat, about 4 to 4^ gallons pure raw linseed 
oil, I gallon of pure turpentine to the 100 pounds of 
lead. 

Painters should exercise particular care when under- 
taking to repaint a house when the paint has cracked 
and scaled. It is dangerous to undertake a good job 
unless all of the old paint is burned off to the bare 
wood. — Carter Times. 

Stock White Paint. — In making a white paint 
from pure white lead, for either interior or exterior 
use, it is best to weigh out a certain proportion of 
the so-called keg lead in a suitable mixing package, 
and with a stout naddle beat it to uniformly smooth 
appearance. Then, either for inside or outside use, 
add sufficient drying japan, selecting a paler variety 
for inside work, and as much spirits of turpentine 
as of driers, and beat the whole to> a thick batter, in 
which all lumps have been broken up. See that the 



106 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

sides and bottom of package are free from paste also. 
If this is not the case, take a large-mesh strainer and 
run the mass through the same into another package, 
meanwhile breaking up the lumps left in the strainer 
by means of a stubby brush. And if any paste adheres 
to the side or bottom of the first package, remove 
same with the aid of a long pallette knife and put it 
also through the strainer. Consider this then as 
stock white, cover it up to exclude air, and let it 
stand at least over night before thinning it finally 
with sufficient linseed oil for exterior use or with the 
necessary thinners for inside flat or gloss effects. 

When thinned to the required consistency for 
application, the finished paint should again be put 
through the strainer, this time one with a finer mesh, 
say about 80 to the inch. This will insure fine, 
smooth work. If such pure white lead paint is to be 
tinted, do this before the final thinning and straining 
by having the necessary oil colors thinned to similar 
consistencv as the white paint is to be when ready 
for the brush. By straining the thinned oil colors be- 
fore adding to the white paint, much annoyance will 
be saved, because tinting colors containing small 
lumps of color or particles of skin will make a lot 
of trouble in throwing off the tint on straining the 
paint and producing streaks on the surface when not 
strained. All of the foregoing applies also to the 
treatment of zinc white and combination whites, 
when used either as white paint or as the base white 
for tints. 

Using Ready-Mixed Paint. — Makers of ready- 
for-use paints give full directions on the can for the 
proper application of their goods. They advise get- 
ting a good foundation before applying the paint, fol- 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 107 

lowing the practice of all good and expert painters. 
Stir the paint thoroughly in the can when ready to ap- 
ply it. Use good brushes and do not be afraid to rub 
the paint into the surface. For first or priming coat 
on new work it is advised to add a pint of raw lin- 
seed oil to the gallon of the paint. For sappy or resin- 
ous pine use turpentine instead of oil for thinning. 
For painting over old work that is glossy, for the first 
coat, add a half pint of turpentine to the gallon of 
paint. If the old paint is not glossy, add nothing to 
the paint, but use it as it comes from the can. For 
any finishing coat add nothing to the paint but use as 
it is in the can. Two coats on old work will do. 
Never paint during frosty, foggy, or wet weather. 

Adding Driers To Paint.— With the painter this 
is simply a matter of guesswork. As a rule he uses 
entirely too much. Certainly much more than is nec- 
essary. An old painter tells me that he never uses any 
driers in outside paint, trusting to the oil and lead and 
weather to effect drying. Not even in winter does he 
use it, and he states that his work stands better than 
most of that done by men who use driers. He at- 
tributes much of the paint troubles, such as wrinkling, 
poor or uneven drying, etc., to the excessive use of 
driers. 

While we do not follow his example, believing in 
the judicious use of good driers, yet there is no doubt 
than many times we might omit the driers and have a 
better job for it. Take tin or other metal roofing, for 
instance, and in dry or warm weather the paint will dry 
soon enough, without the assistance of driers. We 
must take the weaither into consideration. When 
flies are bad, or wet weather or showers imminent, we 
must hurry up the paint, to save it from disaster. 



108 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

Driers vary so in strength that it is quite useless to 
say what proportion should be used in any case.' Some 
say that a half pint to the ioo pounds of lead is suffi- 
cient. No doubt this will be found sufficient for av- 
erage and ordinary use. Yet we see as much as one 
quart advised, the paint makers being among those 
who advocate liberal use of the drying agent. Years 
ago, when in the painting business, I always found 
that a pint of ordinary japan was sufficient to the hun- 
dred weight of lead. • And in summer, one half this 
quantity was ample. This seems like light using of 
japan driers, but it did the work. 

When, in warm weather, you find the paint pot and 
brushes all gummed up with paint you may know that 
you are using a very great deal too much driers. At 
such a time you would find it much better to omit the 
driers entirely, or at least to use very sparingly, say a 
teaspoonful to the pot of paint. 

The too free use of driers is also thought to induce 
mildew where conditions of dampness obtain. It is 
known that a paint that dries too soft or spongy will 
mildew where the conditions favor mildew, and we 
know that too much driers in paint make the paint 
soft, or spongy. 

Before adding japan to the paint thin it a little with 
turpentine, which will make its mixing with the paint 
easier. The japan, however, will not require this. 

Considering the small part it plays in the cost of 
paint, it is wise to use only the best turpentine japan 
driers. When twenty cents worth of driers will suf- 
fice for say ioo pounds of lead, it would seem that 
only a fool or ignoramus would buy or use a cheap 
grade of driers. I have just examined some that 
seems to be thinned with coal oi?, and yet it was sold 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 109 

for the best. Such driers will injure any paint, but 
more particularly good paint. Use only the best. 

Thinning Paste Paints.— In addition to the 
ready-for-use paints made by paint manufacturers 
there are also paste goods, white and colored. No 
fixed rule can be given for thinning such paints, the 
amount of thinners depending upon the nature and 
condition of the surface to be painted, and also upon 
the composition of the paint. But the following fig- 
ures may prove useful : 

For priming new wood add from 25 to 50 per cent, 
of raw oil. 

For average exterior work 25 pounds of paste paint 
will take about five quarts of raw linseed oil and one 
gill of driers. This will make two gallons of mixed 
paint weighing about 17 pounds to the gallon. 

For 25 pounds of paste white, not all white lead, 
the oil and japan will be as for the above formula, and 
will make about 2^ gallons of paint, Aveighing 16^ 
pounds to the gallon. 

For 25 pounds of pure American zinc white add if 
gallons of raw linseed oil, and ^ pint of best japan 
drier. This will make nearly three gallons of paint 
weighing 13^ pounds to the gallon. 

How to Thin Zinc Paint. — Use as much oil and 
as little turpentine as possible. Use pale boiled oil. 
Apply the paint in full or round coats, as all zinc paints 
can be used much rounder than lead paints, without 
any undue tendency to drag or pull. Ordinary raw or 
boiled oil will not dry zinc paint well, owing to zinc 
being such a poor drier. 

To mix a pot of white paint in oil. have ready two 
clean paint kettles. Into one place about seven lbs. of 



110 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

white lead and two ounces of driers for each pound 
of paint required. To this add a small quantity of 
linseed oil, and then beat up the mixture into a stiff 
paste. When throughly mixed add more of the oil, 
and then strain the mixture into the second kettle. 
It should now be thinned with linseed oil to the con- 
sistency for use, and would be termed a "full oil coat." 

When a keg of white lead has stood for some 
months the lead becomes denser, owing to the soak- 
ing away of the oil into the wood. In this condition, 
while it has undoubtedly improved in quality, it has 
at the same time made it more difficult to work it up 
into a smooth paint. To remedy this to great extent 
take a stout narrow paddle, and put it into the lead, 
till it strikes the bottom, then work it back and forth, 
from side to side, for a few times, and the mass will 
soon become quite plastic, and then it may be moved 
into pots for further breaking-up and thinning for 
use. This will save much time over the usual way 
of first taking the lead out of the keg, and breaking 
it up in the pot. 

White lead should always be beaten up before 
adding thinners, and then the japan should be added 
and be well beaten up with the lead ; after which, if 
possible, let the mass stand a few hours; then the 
thinners may be added to the desired amount. This 
will render the straining of the paint unnecessary, 
unless skins are present. If colors are to be added, 
better beat up the colors separately, and thin out 
so that they will unite readily with the paint. 




TEE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER HI 



GOOD PAINTING DIFFICULT 

T is a well known fact that conditions sur- 
rounding painting are yearly becoming 
more difficult to meet, for several reasons. 
First, the character of lumber now being 
used for many so-called first-class struct- 
ures is in reality the forest culls left standing on the 
stump or unmilled when the prime timber was taken 
off only a few years ago. A great deal of such timber 
is sappy, full of wind shakes, knots, etc., and is fre- 
quently soft and punky, through long waterlogging or 
partial decay. 

Again, on account of the scarcity and high price of 
lumber, many varieties of woods are being utilized for 
exterior siding which only a few years ago were re- 
garded as wholly unfit for such use, among which we 
might mention the yellow and other hard pines, spruce, 
cypress, cedar, basswood (linn), gum, redwood and 
other similar woods which are either full of rosin and 
pitch or are very soft and spongy by nature. 

In addition there is a scarcity of properly seasoned 
lumber. Much that is employed is either so full of sap 
or moisture that it is bound to make any paint peel as 
soon as the moisture is acted on by the sun. Again, 
other lumber has been so excessively kiln-dried that it 
is as absorbent as a sponge, and unless any paint ap- 
plied on the same has been well thinned with pure lin- 
seed oil with the addition in some cases of pure spirits 
turpentine to assist in penetration, and thoroughly 
brushed out, in thin, even coats (not flowed on with a 
wide brush in thick, heavy coats, as is so frequently 
done) the soft, extra dry surface soon soaks up the 



112 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

liquids entirely and leaves the film of pigment with an 
insufficient amount of oil to enable it to bind to the 
surface ; and here again peeling is very likely to ensue. 

Very frequently no thought is given to the proper 
thinning of paint to be used on yellow pine or similar 
woods "fat" with rosin, and paints are "regularly" ap- 
plied to such surfaces with the result that the action of 
the sun on the outside of the paint film soon draws the 
pitch out of the lumber and the full oil coat of paint, 
lacking penetration, can do nothing else than let go 
and peel off — a result which might have been avoided 
by the intelligent use of pure spirits of turpentine in 
connection with pure raw linseed oil for thinning the 
first and second coats. 

Let it be remembered, then, that to insure good re- 
sults on new or very old, spongy surfaces, there must 
be sufficient pure raw linseed oil used in the first and 
second coats of any paint to properly fill the wood and 
arrest the absorption of the oil and binder from the 
paint film, and still leave enough oil to bind the pig- 
ment thoroughly, and that where any new surfaces are 
hard and resinous, a liberal percentage of pure spirits 
turpentine must be added in first and second coats to 
insure adequate penetration and assist the drying to a 
proper "face" or surface for recoating. 

That on old work that has been previously painted 
and presents a hard, impervious surface, equal parts of 
pure spirits turpentine and pure raw linseed must be 
used in reducing the first coat to a thin consistency to 
secure proper penetration and homogenous drying of 
the new coat of paint. 

That "elbow grease" must be used to spread any 
paint out into thin coats and brush it well into the 
pores of the wood, and unless so spread, satisfactory 
results cannot be insured. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 113 

; That a much more satisfactory and durable job of 
work can be done with a round or oval brush than 
with a long, wide wall brush. 

That under no circumstances should a new house be 
painted before wet basements or the plaster have dried 
out. It should be borne in mind that every yard of 
green plaster contains nearly a gallon of water, and 
unless thorough ventilation is given and the moisture 
is allowed to evaporate and escape in that way, it 
must necessarily escape through the siding (which 
may have been thoroughly dry when put on) 
and the result must inevitably be blistering or peeling. 

That painting during or following soon after a dew 
or heavy frost or fog, or in any heavy, damp atmos- 
phere, is likely to produce unsatisfactory results, as 
dry siding absorbs moisture very rapidly. 

That to the greatest extent possible, painting in the 
direct heat of the summer sun should be avoided. 
Paint on the shady sides of a building as much as can 
be done. 

Painting around fresh mortar beds should be 
avoided on account of the tendency of the oil in any 
paint to absorb the moisture and fumes from the lime, 
destroying the life of the oil and causing the paint to 
flat out and perish. 

Remember not to apply one coat of paint and let that 
stand a year or so before a subsequent one is applied. 
It will have weathered sufficiently in that time to ab- 
sorb some of the elasticity of the succeeding coat, so 
that the final result cannot be satisfactory. 

Again, don't apply a coat of paint and let it stand 
until it is bone hard before continuing the work — one 
coat should follow another within a reasonable time 
until the work is finished. If the under surface is al- 
lowed to get too hard, it will not have the proper 



114 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

"tooth"' to allow the succeeding coat to get a "grip" 
or hold on it. 

Leaky roofs and gutters '"and broken-down spouts 
are responsible for many a case of blistering or peel- 
ing which might, without investigation, be attributed 
to the paint. 

Specifications for Outside Work 

It must be understood that these specifications are 
only general. The kind of work, the condition of 
the surface, the weather, and so many things must be 
taken into consideration that it is impossible to give 
any formula which will suit every case. Some var- 
iation may be expected in the thinning qualities of lin- 
seed oil, hence the proportions given cannot always be 
followed exactly. 

Bass wood, white pine and poplar absorb oil readi- 
ly, and we suggest that more oil be used on these 
woods than on hemlock, yellow pine and spruce. 

All nail-holes and other defects in surface should 
be puttied thoroughly after the priming coat is dry. 
A good reliable putty is made with pure linseed oil 
and equal parts of lead and whiting*. The addition 
of litharge assists putty to dry and harden. 

Before any paint whatever is applied it is essential 
that the wood-w^ork be thoroughly dry. Under no 
circumstances should paint be applied when it is 
raining or snowing. All knots and sappy places 
should be varnished with the best grain alcohol 
shellac. Go over the surface carefully before paint- 
ing and see that all dirt and dust is removed, also 
old paint scales, etc. A wire brush is probably the 
best for removing scales. Occasionally a paint burn- 
er is required where a jobjias been done with sub- 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 115 

stitutes for pure white lead. It is almost impossible 
to do a good job of painting- over a surface that has 
cracked or scaled. If the new coat is to be applied 
over an old coat of white lead paint, you won't find 
any scales or cracks. First use No. i sand-paper 
freely, then dust off well and your surface is ready. 

OLD OUTSIDE WORK 

First Coat — ioo lbs. white lead, 4 to 5 gals, pure 
raw linseed oil, 1 gal. pure turpentine, 1 pint pure tur- 
pentine japan. 

Second Coat. — 100 lbs. white lead, 3^ to 4^ gals, pure 
raw linseed oil, 1 pint pure turpentine, 1 pint pure tur- 
pentine japan. 

NEW OUTSIDE WORK 

First Coat — 100 lbs. white lead, 6 to 7 gals, pure 
raw linseed oil, 1 to 2 gals, pure turpentine, 1^ pints 
pure turpentine japan. 

Second Coat — 100 lbs. white lead, 4 to 4^ gals, pure 
raw linseed oil, 1 pint pure turpentine, 1 pint pure tur- 
pentine japan. 

Third Coat — 100 lbs. white lead. 4 to 5 gals, pure 
raw linseed oil, 1 pint pure turpentine, 1 pint pure tur- 
pentine japan. 

Additional driers. — In winter and when the weather 
is damp, use ^ to I pint additional turpentine japan for 
any coat. 

Specifications for Inside Painting 

OLD INSIDE WORK 

Priming Coat — 100 lbs. white lead, 1 gal. pure lin- 
seed oil, 2 gals, pure turpentine. 1 pint pure white tur- 
pentine drier. If old paint has high gloss, add |- gal. 
white mixing varnish to prevent crawling. 



116 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

Finishing Coat — Full Gloss — ioo lbs. white lead, 3-J- 
to 4! gals, pure raw linseed oil, 1 pint pure turpentine, 
1 pint pure white turpentine drier. 

Finishing Coat — Egg Shell Gloss — 100 lbs. white 
lead, 3 gals, pure turpentine, 1 pint pure white turpen- 
tine drier. 

Finishing Coat — Dead Flat — 100 lbs. white lead 
from which the oil has been drawn, 3 gals ; pure tur- 
pentine, 1 pint pure white turpentine drier. 

NEW INSIDE WORK 

Priming Coat. — 100 lbs. white lead, 5 to 6 gals, raw 
linseed oil, 5 gals pure turpentine, 1^ pints pure white 
turpentine drier. 

Second Coat — 100 lbs. white lead, 1 gal. pure tur- 
pentine, 2 to 3 gals, pure raw linseed oil, i-| pints pure 
white turpentine drier. 

Finishing Coat — Gloss — 3 lbs. white lead broken up 
smooth with turpentine, 1 gal. white enamel varnish. 

Finishing Coat — Egg-shell Gloss — 100 lbs. pure 
white lead, 3 gals, pure turpentine, 1 pint pure white 
turpentine drier. 

Finishing Coat — Dead Flat — Same as for dead flat 
finish, "Old Inside Work." 

For Either Old or New Work. — To secure a clear 
white or a delicate tint which will not turn yellow, use 
no oil except in the priming coat. For a flat finish 
mix second and third coats for new work, and both 
coats for old work as follows: 100 lbs. white lead, 3 
gals, pure turpentine, \ gal. white mixing varnish. If 
more gloss is desired, increase the proportion of mix- 
ing varnish and reduce the quantity of turpentine. 

PLASTER WALLS 

Priming Coat — 100 lbs. white lead, 8 gals, pure 
boiled linseed oil, Ito 1 gal. pure turpentine. Follow 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 117 

the priming coat with a coat of weak glue size, which 
must be allowed to dry thoroughly. 

Second Coat— ioo lbs. white lead, i£ gals, pure raw 
linseed oil, i| gals, pure turpentine, i pint pure white 
turpentine drier. 

Finishing Coal— Dead Flat— Same as for dead flat 
finish, "Old Inside Work." 

Finishing Coat— Egg-shell Gloss— ioo lbs. white 
lead. 2 gals, pure turpentine, I gal. raw linseed oil, I 
pint pure white turpentine drier. 

Finishing Coat— Full Gloss— ioo lbs. white lead, 4 
to 4-J gals, pure raw linseed oil, 1 pint pure turpentine, 
1 pint pure white turpentine drier.— Fro m Carter 
Times. 

Burning Off Paint 

Some painters, particularly the old-timers, think 
nothing so effective as the torch for burning off with, 
and there is no doubt about its efficiency. The main 
objection is the fire. It is liable to cause the burning 
of a building, as we know has occurred time and again, 
lrue, it may have been the carelessness of the work- 
man, but that avails not in its favor, for we have care- 
less workmen always. As to the legal aspect of the 
case. I believe that rules of insurance companies and 
laws, too, vary in different states, so that it is neces- 
sary for a painter to make inquiry in his own state. 
Ask the insurance man nearest to you.* Then, 



we 



„ff ! C -m 6 a benzine or "aphtha torch to burn the old paint 
•J r a M bmld ! n S preparatory to repainting has been held to be an 
ncrease of risk which voids the policy. An essential element 
n the case, however, ,s that the owner of the building shall 
have knowledge that such a torch is being used. If painters 
should use a naphtha torch for the purposes mentioned with- 
out the knowledge or consent of the owner of the building and 

fa e\ P h a ie y t n° ldmg tl ? e , P ? hcy - £ e companies would probably not 
be able to escape liability. But when the owner is aware of 
what is going on and permits it he forfeits his insurant 



il8 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

should be careful to examine the work, if it is old and 
flimsy, there is greater danger than in the case of the 
newer or more substantial house. Don't burn off on a 
windy day. Choose a still day, and avoid burning off 
on the sunny side of a house in warm weather, as men 
will likely be more careless when over warm. 

Instruct your men to take it easy and let the torch 
do the work. Take the torch in one hand, and a 
broad knife, not too sharp, in the other. It is well for 
the men to wear a canvas g"love on the hand with the 
knife to protect it from getting scorched, and he can 
work to much better advantage. Keep the nozzle of 
the torch an inch or two from the paint — always throw 
flame downward on siding. Set your broad knife 
back of the flame, not too slanting, and just shove. 
Don't try to cut it off. When the paint is soft enough 
it will come off easy. Don't push and pull your knife 
in short strokes ; you will get too much old paint on the 
under side, and it will slip over it all. Let it follow 
the torch for a stretch of two or three feet. If the 
torch did not soften some spots, and your knife slip- 
ped over, just go over that two or three feet again. 

If you have mouldings, columns, etc., to burn off, 
instead of a knife, use a wire brush, and as soon as the 
paint is soft give one quick forward and backward 
stroke. To remove the soft paint you can do a nice, 
even job in this manner. 

After you have burned the paint off, sandpaper the 
work smooth, shellac the knots and prime with lead, 
three-quarters oil, one-quarter turpentine. If the old 
paint is cracked and too dry to soften under the heat 
of the torch, it is well to give it a coat of linseed oil 
the day before you start burning. 

An old painter says: "In regard to removing' paint 
from work which has to be repainted, I have yet to 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 119 

find anything that will answer our purpose so well as 
the burning-off process." 

We have now reached the time when a competent 
workman, with the torch in its present state of perfec- 
tion, can accomplish more work in one day than two 
with any of the liquid removers now on the market, 
and at the same time make a cleaner and cheaper job, 
as when you add the cost of the liquid removers to the 
workman's time, doing a certain work, you will find 
you have made a considerable saving in this process. 

How to Clean a Torch. — If the burning-off lamp 
does not work freely and with some force, it is waste 
of time to keep pricking at the nipple with a needle, 
and hoping it will get better. Take the top off with a 
wrench, and unscrew the nipple with stout pincers, 
and you will probably find it was choked with grit. Be 
sure to have it screwed up tightly before using again. 

Burning off should be done by the day. 

Plumbers have largely abandoned the gasoline 
torch for the kerosene torch, which is much safer. 

While burning off with a torch have a bucket of 
water near by. 

The tenant might sue the painter for damages if his 
torch fired the premises and invalidated the insurance, 
but the property owner could not. 

There are cases where it would be cheaper to put 
on new weatherboarding than burn off or remove the 
old paint. 

If there were no removers on the market, the insur- 
ance men would allow us to burn off the paint, as 
formerly. 

It will cost about $1.00 per square yard to remove 
old paint with commercial removers. 



120 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

It is found that paint removers cannot well be used 
in the sun, but they do all right on the shady side of 
the house or on a cloudy day. 

In some cases some removers will work as quickly 
and as economically as the torch. 

A master painter tells of one house where 200 gal- 
lons of paint remover were used to remove only part of 
the paint. 

It is generally considered by painters that paint re- 
movers are slow and expensive. With gasoline at 20 
cents a gallon, the cost of burning off with the torch 
is very little. 

For one thing, painters do not make their charges 
on a basis like that used by plumbers, who charge for 
using 10 gallons of benzine when they use only one 
quart, or perhaps less, and even charge for so many 
feet of wick, and double rates for the helper, with an 
extra charge for the oxygen consumed during the 
time the torch was in blast. 

How to Use Paint Remover. — Use plenty of re- 
mover and give it time to do the work. It is economy, 
as it saves time. 

When applying remover, flow on, using brush one 
way. 

Do not brush back and forth over surface after re- 
mover has been applied; as this destroys part of the 
solvent power of the remover. 

If the first application of remover does not dissolve 
or soften the old finish clean to the wood within a few 
minutes, do not try to remove part of the old finish 
before applying more paint remover. Continue to 
make applications of the remover until old finish is soft 
through to the surface to which it adheres. For ordi- 
nary work one application, if allowed to remain on the 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 121 

surface from three to fifteen minutes, will be sufficient. 

On out-of-door work and on upright work, use the 
thick remover, variously called paste, semi-paste, syrup 
or cream removers. If your dealer does not have the 
thick kind, ask him to order it from one of our licen- 
sees. 

If you want a slow drying" remover, one that will 
remain moist for a day or more, ask for the thick kind. 

Let the remover do the work of softening the old 
finish. That is its particular job. 

A hard coating of old paint was removed from an 
old tank, says Engineering Review, with a paste made 
from fresh slaked lime and concentrated lye, mixed, 
and spread over the surface one-eighth inch thick, 
using a trowel for the purpose. After having been on 
long enough to soften the paint clear to the iron, it 
was removed with a jet of water from a hose; what 
was left was scraped off with a scraper. Two appli- 
cations of the remover might be needed in very stub- 
born cases. 

Take eight parts of fresh slaked lime and one part 
of pearl ash ; mix and add water until the mass is about 
the consistency of oil paint. Apply this with an old 
brush. In about 16 hours the paint can be removed 
by scraping, after which wash off clean and neutralize 
the lye with vinegar. 

Take a box of concentrated lye, and mix with a half 
gallon of water, rain water being the best ; let it stand 
until thoroughly dissolved. Use a swab for applying 
this. 

For paint that is not so hard take four parts of Ful- 
ler's earth, one part of soft soap, and one part of soda 
or pearlash ; mix with boiling water. Apply, allow to 
dry, scour off with soap and water. If paint is very 



122 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

hard, add fresh powdered lime to the mixture, and let 
the coating remain until the paint scrapes away easily. 

Take soda and quicklime, half and half. Dissolve 
the soda in water, and then add the lime. Use an old 
brush to apply with. 

For paint that is comparatively new, or not old and 
tough, take one pound of soda and dissolve it in hot 
water, and apply hot. Wrap a coarse cloth around a 
block and rub the paint off with this. 

Make a paste with half a peck of freshly-slaked 
lime, twenty pounds of potash and eight gallons of 
water. Use same as in other lye formulas. 

A painter says that an old weather-beaten building 
may have its paint removed by strong concentrated 
lye, allowing it to dry on and not wash it off, but 
painting over it. Which might cause the paint to be 
injured, by the remains of the lye acting on the oil 
in the paint; but the painter says not. Concentrated 
lye and caustic soda are one and the same thing. 
Caustic soda is cheaper than potash. 

English Paint Remover. — An English patent. 
300 parts of slaked lime are mixed with 75 parts of 
powdered sal soda or potash into which 60 parts of a 
mixture containing 60 parts petroleum oil, 300 parts 
alcohol or acetone, and 75 parts soap, all stirred to- 
gether. May be thickened with 450 parts whiting. 
For removing oil paint only two minutes is required. 
Hard enamels, etc., will take upwards of two hours. 
Wash off with water. 

Old paint on a door may be removed by steel wool 
or with sandpaper wet with benzine. Of course, there 
is also the paint removers. 

Carbon tetrachloride will remove old paint, but is 
too volatile to use alone. On the other hand, it has 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 123 

the property of rendering inflammable liquids safe 
when used in suitable proportions. It forms, with 
sulphonated oil, like Turkey red oil, a gelatinous soap 
which is perfecely homogenous, and will mix with 
water in all proportions. Such a solution, containing, 
for instance, i part of the said gelatinous soap, and 
\ to i part of water, when stirred up with i to 2 
parts of carbon tetrachloride and mixed with alkali 
and spirit, will form a very good paint remover. 

A remover may be made by dissolving caustic alkali 
in spirit. For instance, a solution containing equal 
parts of alkali and water is warmed with sufficient 
soap to form a gelatinous mass, and diluted with 
strong alcohol. The soap acts on a varnish covering 
paint, and thus exposes the paint to the action of the 
remover. 

Cleaning by sand blast, although more expensive, 
is much more thorough than the hammer, chisel, 
scraper and wire brush method and the greater cost 
is readily offset by better results in the end. Where 
the sand blast has been used, the steel so cleaned, when 
shortly after properly painted, did not show signs of 
corrosion again nearly as rapidly as did the steel 
cleaned by hand. 



18 


n&|] 



124 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



PAINTING BY SPRAYING 

HERE is quite a number of different 
makes and styles of machines on the market 
— low pressure, high pressure, air machines, 
power machines and hand pumps. The 
writer would recommend a hand pump 
carrying from 150 to 250 pounds pressure, as com- 
pact and light in weight as it can be made, consistent 
with durability, for this work. The machine question 
is quite a difficult one to solve, as most machines are 
made to sell and will need constant repairing or re- 
placing of parts. This of necessity increases the cost 
of doing work and wants to be eliminated as much as 
possible. 

A job of spraying, if properly done, is better than a 
brush job in several respects; it eliminates brush 
marks and laps and penetrates cracks and crevices that 
you cannot get into with a brush. In painting by 
machine one thing to be remembered is that the min- 
ute the machine stops all the work stops, and on diffi- 
cult work it is frequently advisable to send an extra 
man to handle the nozzle so that the men can alternate 
and keep the machine going all the time, and you will 
by so doing more than make up the additional cost by 
the extra quantity of work turned out. Great care 
must be exercised in the mixing and straining, for if 
the paint is not properly mixed or not properly strain- 
ed, the machine will be constantly clogged up, and this 
means a great loss of time in cleaning out the machine; 
another item one wants to bear in mind is to mix the 
paint as near the water in the building as possible and 
keep the machine where you are mixing, to save the 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 125 

cost of carrying the water and paint around the build- 
ing. The writer has painted six- and seven-story 
buildings by machine and never moved his machine 
out of the basement of the building, by using sufficient 
hose to reach the top floor and taking off unnecessary 
lengths of hose at the close of each day's work, when it 
is customary to clean out all utensils and prepare for 
the next day's work. 

The writer has found it best to use at least four men 
on one machine — two to alternate at mixing, straining 
and supplying the machine, and to do the pumping, 
and the other two to do the spraying, except on small 
jobs, where four men would not have a full day's 
work. 

The greatest objection in the past to painting by 
machine has been the nipples, or drops left on the 
lower edges of beams and rafters, but this has been 
practically eliminated through practice, and to-day 
you can go through a building painted by machine by 
an inexperienced man and you will not find the same. 

How much brush work is done when the machine is 
used? That is a question sometimes asked. In ans- 
wer I would say that the only place that we use a brush 
at all is around windows and door frames; formerly 
we covered the windows and doors with paper of mus- 
lin, but that is now unnecessary, as an experienced 
workman can spray within four inches of the opening 
and not get any paint on the frames or glass. 

What is the relative cost per yard, as compared with 
hand painting? Machine work can be done for one- 
half the cost of brush work on any job that is of fairly 
large size. On a room or ordinary small job there 
would not be this difference, for the machine is for 
large surfaces, as on factories, etc. For jobs of three 
or more days' work for several men you could do the 



126 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

work for half what yon would have to get for brush 
work. 

The man at the spray end of the machine should be 
well experienced, but those who assist him need not be 
skilled men. The head man must know how to mix 
and apply the paint. The longer a man works at this 
the more expert he becomes, particularly at extension 
work. 

Many painters condemn the spraying machine, some 
railroad foremen painters especially being hostile to its 
use, saying that the paint is thrown everywhere, and 
that it takes almost as long to clean up after it as to do 
the work. But probably they had little experience 
with the machine. 




THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 127 



PAINTING BRICK WALLS 

ainting Brick Walls Flat Color and 
Striping. — The preparation of a wall for 
flatting - is essentially the same as we have 
described for oil finish In either case 
there must be good, secure foundation for 
the paint to rest upon. On new work two coats of oil 
paint, the second containing about half-and-half of oil 
and turpentine, is usually employed. If the latter is 
made perfectly flat, with all turpentine, it will not hold 
so well; some painters say that as much as one-half 
raw oil is not too much for the last or flatting coat, 
for while it will give some gloss, yet this gloss will 
wear off" in time, leaving a flat effect. This is true in 
a measure, but we might suggest two amendments to 
the idea, namely, to use much less oil than one-half, or 
just enough to serve as an effectual binder, or use pig- 
ments ground in oil, the oil in these being sufficient. 

For flatting work on bricks many apply only one 
coat of oil paint over the priming coat, but this will, 
and must depend upon the condition of the bricks. 
Usually, however, the two oil coats and one flat coat 
are enough. 

A good red-brick color may be made from two parts 
of the best French ochre, one part of the best Venetian 
red, and one part of pure white lead. Varying these 
proportions will give light and dark brick reds. Add 
Prussian blue for verv dark brick red. Mix in oil, 
and thin with turpentine, with sufficient driers to dry 
the work in a reasonable time. L'se a broad bristle 
wall brush, and take down a side at a stretch across the 
wall, cutting in more or less evenly at the mortar line 



128 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



at bottom. With enough men on the swing to take a 
stretch in this way, without the men moving from 
their positions, gives a perfect job. 

Painting an Old Brick Wall. — The principal 
difficulty met with in painting an old brick wall is the 
tendency to blister or peel, and this may be avoided by 
the following method : Scrape the wall and scrub it 
with a stiff fiber or wire brush; then apply a coat of 
good paint of the desired color, thinned with raw lin- 
seed oil and a very little japan drier; brush this paint 
well into the bricks, and allow it plenty of time for 
hardening. For the next coat add at least one-third 
of white lead, no matter what the color is to be, and 
thin up with a mixture of two parts of raw oil and one 
part of turpentine, with enough drier to dry it hard. 
The third coat, or finishing, may be of any desired 
color, but should be thinned with good kettle-boiled 
oil and a very little drier. 

The first thing to do is to get every particle of loose 
stuff from the walls, which may be done with a coarse 
fiber brush ; then dust off clean. If you have a lot of 
old paint and enough to do the job, thin it down with 
oil and a little benzine, strain and apply quite thin to 
the wall. Brush this well into the surface, and let it 
have several days to become hard. The next coat 
should be lead paint, of fresh materials, with raw oil 
and just enough driers to dry it well in reasonable 
time. A little turps also will be an advantage. This 
will now give you a good foundation for whatever 
color or paint you may want to apply. 

The various surfaces that we are required to coat 
with paint differ enough in certain characteristics and 
requirements that there can be no question about each 
requiring a special kind of paint ; at the same time not 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 129 

so much depends upon the kind of paint, we believe, as 
upon weather and conditions of surface. Take a brick 
wall, for instance; if it has been painted and new, and 
the bricks have not been laid very long, another condi- 
tion confronts us. The wall must be perfectly dry be- 
fore paint can be safely applied. Then any ordinary 
paint may be applied. That is, for the first coat 
plenty of oil must be added to the paint, as the bricks 
are more absorptive than wood. So with the next 
coat, only this may contain more pigment and less oil. 
Any defective places in the wall must be repaired with 
the proper kind of mortar. When dry, prime with 
nearly all oil, using Venetian red, but never ochre. 
After priming, all smaller defects may be puttied up. 
This should give a good, solid wall for subsequent 
coats. Cold weather is a bad time to paint brick work 
or other outside walls of like nature. 

Preparing The Wall for Flat Work. — First 
make the brick work fit for the paint. Scrape and 
brush, as directed elsewhere. Fill all holes and cracks 
with putty or some sort of plaster or cement, if the 
breaks are very large. Add a little dry Venetian red 
to raw linseed oil, and give the entire surface a coat- 
ing. Rub it in well, and give it full and plenty. The 
priming coat may be made in the proportion of about 
20 pounds of Venetian red to 10 gallons raw linseed 
oil. Let this dry for about two weeks. Then apply 
a coat of paint made from Venetian red 75 pounds, 
best white lead 25 pounds, Indian red 3 pounds. Mix 
thoroughly, and let it stand 24 hours. Then mix for 
use, with raw oil and a little benzine or turpentine, to 
flatten it a little ; benzine will not flatten as well as tur- 
pentine, but is cheaper. When hard-dry it is readv for 
the flat red coat and striping. 



130 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

Painting over bricks is quite different from painting* 
on wood. You must not make a long stroke with the 
paint brush, as you do on wood. Lay it off as the 
water color painter does. Take a long, full-stock wall 
brush, and use the tip of the brush, with about a six- 
inch stroke. Brush from the unpainted part into the 
painted part. 

In making the brick reds, ochre is added to produce 
the lighter shades of color, with a little blue for the 
medium shades, while for the very dark shades much 
Prussian blue is added. The buffs, including Mil- 
waukee color, are made from white lead and ochre and 
raw sienna, this giving any shade, from light cream to 
decided buff color. 

We have seen it advised to use some brown soap in 
the last coat of flat finish, the advisor saying that it 
will increase the durability of the paint and help deaden 
the color. But our advice is against such a practice. 
Soap is a bad thing in any paint, and as for flattening, 
that is abundantly achieved with turpentine. 

Lining Brick Joints. — This work requires care, if 
not considerable skill. By carefully following our 
directions, the average good painter should be able to 
do very nice job of lining work. The paint, saying we 
are going to use white, to imitate white mortar, is made 
from white lead mixed stiff with oil and a little drier, 
then thin down to a consistency rather stouter than 
ordinary paint, or it will run. Fill a pound paint brush 
full of this white paint, holding it in the left hand, 
which also holds the straight-edge, a narrow, bevelled 
slat, and with the liner, the brush used for the horizon- 
tal lines, in the right hand, dip it in the paint that is on 
the pound brush, and proceed to draw the liner evenly 
and S'entlv, not hard, along the straight edge, which 



TEE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 131 

is held true to the mortar line. Some employ a straight 
edge that has a level attachment, so that they will get 
the line level. But this is not necessary, as the mortar 
lines are usually on a more or less true horizontal 
plane. In the case of fine brick work, as the front of 
a pressed brick building*, the practice is to run the 
lining on the top edge of the brick, just under the 
mortar. The reason for this, it gives a truer line, as 
the bricks are smoother than the mortar. The vertical 
lines of the mortar are made with a tool called a header. 
Thus there are headers and liners. The liner is a thin 
brush of hog bristles, two or three inches long, while 
the header is much shorter. The lines are run first, 
several of them, then the headers are used, to divide the 
bricks where they join at the ends. Care must be 
taken to run uniform lines, and you can do this by 
holding the straight-edge firmly at the level, and 
drawing the tool firmly yet easily along the straight- 
edge, as already explained. Do not bear on too hard, 
but with a uniformly even pressure, and keep the 
tool loaded with paint. White is almost invariably 
used for lining on red brick work, but on buff or 
Milwaukee work the lining is usually black, as this 
shows up better with the color than white. 

Estimate of Paint Required — Of pure white 
lead, thinned with oil to the same consistency as is re- 
quired for priming woodwork, one square yard of 
rough brick surface requires about one-half pound of 
paint, and very nearly as much for the second coat. 
The third coat will require very much less, and for the 
three ccats you may estimate it to take one and one- 
quarter pounds. For painting a surface of smooth, 
pressed bricks laid up with close points, the quanity 
required for a given surface will be a little more than 
for painting new white pine wood. 



132 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

Rejuvenating An Old Brick House. — In most 
of the older communities will be found a number of old 
red brick houses and store buildings, which have be- 
come worn and weather-beaten and have lost whatever 
attractiveness they once possessed. 

Every old brick building is an opportunity for a 
painter, for probably there is no class of buildings on 
which paint will work a greater transformation. 

A customer who has lived in such a house for years 
is usually best pleased when it is repainted a color as 
far removed from any resemblance to red brick as 
possible. And when it comes to selecting colors, the 
more nearly one approaches to the cream tint of clear 
Milwaukee brick, the better. An old brick house 
painted cream with a white trim is a combination in 
excellent taste, wears well, and makes a new house out 
of an old one. 

It is a more or less common impression that paint 
adds nothing to the life of a brick wall. This is not en- 
tirely true, especially when soft bricks have been used. 
They absorb moisture readily, and freezing when the 
brick is saturated will cause chipping and shelling. 
White lead and oil paint will keep out the moisture and 
protect the surface from further damage. 

The painting of a brick wall offers no particular 
problem. The one essential thing is to be sure that the 
brick work is thoroughly dry. A brick building should 
not be painted in winter, and in summer only after a 
week or more of dr}^ weather. 

Good results can not be expected from two coat 
work when painting brick work for the first time. A 
very thin coat of paint is required for priming — nine 
gallons of boiled oil and one gallon of turpentine to 
one hundred pounds of lead usually being the proper 
proportion. In the second coat — four gallons of oil, 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 133 

one-third boiled, two-thirds raw, should be used to 
one hundred pounds of lead and the finishing coat 
should be even heavier. — Carter Times. 

Absorption of Moisture. — It is said that a brick 
is capable of absorbing a pint of water, and that a 
driving rain will penetrate a brick wall ^ inch through. 
In a very cold climate damp bricks burst open in freez- 
ing weather. The brick walls of a house may con- 
tain tons of water, and probably does always contain 
more or less. This moisture causes efflorescence or 
salts to appear on the surface, one of the most com- 
mon of brick wall painting troubles. 

Green Mould, Mildew, Etc. — Washing off with 
an acid water and stiff scrubbing brush is the only 
cure. Sulphuric acid is usually recommended, but 
care must be used in adding it to water, dropping it in 
the water carefully, and not pouring the water on to it. 

Cleaning a Smoked Red Brick Front. — In cities 
using soft coal the walls of brick and other buildings 
become black with soot. This may be removed as 
follows : 

To one gallon of good soap, not too watery, add 
two pounds of powdered pumice, OO or F, and one 
pint of liquid ammonia. The article sold as household 
ammonia will answer, although it will be all the more 
effective if a little stronger. First remove as much of 
the soot and dust as possible with a stiff broom or 
fiber brush. Then apply the soap and ammonia mix- 
ed, with an ordinary fiber brush or common whitewash 
dip, and let it remain for about twenty to thirty min- 
utes. With a good scrubbing brush rub it briskly, 
dipping the brush in clear water once in a while. Have 



134 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

a few pails of water handy and a large carriage sponge 
to go over the scrubbed surface, and finally rinsing 
with clear water. If convenient, use a hose with spray 
nozzle for rinsing. This should remove the most 
stubborn case of staining from fire or smoke. 

Dirty brick walls may be cleaned with soap and 
water and scrubbing, followed, after drying, with a 
solution of muriatic acid, making the water quite sour 
with acid. Use a whitewash or wall paint brush. 

Cleaning Old Paint From Brick Wall. — Old 
paint may be removed with the gasoline torch or with 
strong alkali, or lye and lime paste, the job in any case 
being a difficult and more or less expensive one. Old 
paint will not need to be removed if firm and good, of 
course. 

Never paint a brick wall in damp or cold weather. 
Take a dry time for it. If there is dampness in the 
wall it will show up later on in the fading out and 
peeling of the paint. Summer is the time for wall 
painting. If the flat brick paint is too dead flat it will 
not do as well as it ought; but by adding a little raw 
oil, or even up to a half-and-half proportion of oil and 
turps, it will make a more durable job, and any slight 
gloss seen at first will finally die away and leave a very 
satisfactory dead flat finish. 

If a wall has dampness more or less permanently it 
should be treated for it, as the dampness will discolor 
the paint and cause it finally to deca)'. 

To prevent the burning out of the color of the paint 
by alkali in bricks or cement surface on brick wall, ap- 
ply a size of 20 per cent, dilution of muriatic acid. 
Wash off with clear water, and let the bricks or cement 
become perfectly dry before paint is applied. 

Sometimes brickwork will turn black, but this does 
not often happen. The cause is not certainly known, 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 135 

but impure oil or dampness may be the cause. It 
sometimes appears in spots on the work. Probably 
it is a mildew. Various remedies have been employed 
to cure or prevent the evil, but to no purpose. Kero- 
sene has been applied over the paint, as a cure. 
Heavy coats of lead paint, containing some varnish, 
have been tried, but in vain. It occurs when the wall 
is perfectly dry, as well as when damp; and it occurs 
also in a warm, dry time of year, as well as in a damp 
period. 

White On Brick Work. — There are at least 
three different causes for this. On new work, carbon- 
ate of soda is the most common, after the limestains 
have been removed. This is due to the action of the 
lime mortar upon the silicate of soda in the bricks. 
Silicate of soda seldom occurs in bricks unless the 
clay used is a salt clay. The only other white efflores- 
cence of importance is composed chiefly of sulphate of 
magnesia. This is due to pyrites in the clay, which 
when burned gives rise to sulphuric acid, and the 
latter unites with the magnesia in the lime mortar. 
The conclusions arrived at are these : Efflorescence is 
never due to the bricks alone, and seldom to lime 
alone. To avoid it the bricks should be covered with 
an oily preservative capable of preventing the salts 
from exuding. Linseed oil cannot fill the require- 
ments, as it is injurious to the mortar. 

Cleansing Brick Work. — To clean yellow bricks 
from stain and smoke take freshly powdered lime and 
sift it; take 100 parts of this and add water to form 
a thin milk of lime ; boil in a copper boiler, and add I 
part bichromate of potash. Now mix up some lead 
sulphate in water, making a thin paste, or use sugar of 
lead or nitrate of lead ; any of these will answer the 



136 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

purpose as well, and stir into the first mixture while 
boiling. Color with ochre to match color of bricks, 
then add cold water, after which run it through a fine 
sieve, drain it through linen cloth — a bag is good — 
and when all the liquid has drained out, leaving the 
residue, take the latter and break into bits, and dry in 
the open air. When wanted for use it may be mixed 
with water like lime, to form a wash, and be applied 
with a brush. 

In many cases bad stains might be painted out. 

To clean hard-pressed bricks, from water running- 
over them and depositing iron rust, add 2 lbs. medium 
fine pumicestone powder to two quarts of soft soap 
and one-half pint of ammonia water, stir the whole 
and apply. Let it remain for 30 minutes, rub with a. 
scrub brush, then sponge off with plenty of clear water. 
If this fails to remove all the stain then try oxalic acid 
2 oz., butter of antimony 1 oz., dissolved in hot water,, 
to which add to form a paste flour, and apply a stout 
coat of this, and after two days wash it off. 

Efflorescence or white powder on bricks may be 
treated with hydrochloric acid and water, equal parts ;. 
let dry, then wash off with clear water. 

Stains from paint or oil remove with a paste made 
from 2 parts whiting, 1 part soft soap, and 1 part pot- 
ash, with boiling water to form the paste. Apply 
heavy coats of this, and after a few hours, remove same 
and clean bricks with soap and water, then wash off 
with clear water. 

To remove white paint, make a solution of equal 
parts of sal soda and fresh lime, viz : Dissolve soda in 
as little water as possible, then add lime and allow it 
to slake. The mass should be like soft butter, and if 
too thick, then thin it with water. After it has soft- 
ened the paint wash off with hot water. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 137 

To clean off pressed brick front, take a gallon of 
soft soap, 2 pounds powdered pumice stone, and one 
pint of household ammonia. Apply in thin paste 
form, with fiber brush, allow it to remain on about 20 
minutes or so, scrub well with scrub brush, then wash 
off with clear water. Use plenty of clean water in 
washing off. 




138 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



PAINTING OVER CEMENT 

reparing The Surface. — When Nature, in 
the form of wind, rain, and sunshine, has 
neutralized the alkalies of the cement, it is 
much easier to paint the exterior structure 
and secure more durable results. Conse- 
quently, it is unwise to figure upon having a stucco or 
concrete house painted when finished. If this is in- 
tended, the highest results cannot be expected. 

Old concrete houses that have stood exposed to the 
weather for a year or two are in much better condi- 
tion for the painting. The new house painted cannot 
undergo the same aging process. The film of paint is 
waterproof, and hence checks the process of neutraliza- 
tion of the alkalies in the cement. If the house has 
had an opportunity to dry thoroughly the question of 
painting the exterior surface to get another color can 
be considered with hope of success. 

Nearly all of the different methods of applying paint 
to cement surfaces have been tried on new houses, 
and the experiments were conducted with the fresh 
concrete or stucco in view. Therefore, all of these 
apply with greater force to the houses which have been 
allowed to stand a year or two and dry out. 

One of the earliest processes was to treat the cement 
surface and neutralize the alkali. Diluted muriatic 
acid of 7 to 8 per cent., mixed with water, composed 
this wash. After treating the entire surface, all dirt, 
grease, and other substances were removed, and the 
neutralizing of the alkali of the cement was hastened 
thereby. But, unfortunately, if the cement contains 
much lime, which is very commonly the case, the muri- 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 139 



atic acid would tend to neutralize the lime and convert 
into calcium chloride. This would prove most in- 
jurious to the cement surface. It would crumble and 
pit the surface, and when paint is applied to such a sur- 
face it would have a very uncertain foundation. Any 
application of such a wash to the cement, therefore, 
means disintegration of both the surface and the ordi- 
nary paints. In the use of muriatic acid as a wash, 
and also sulphuric acid, which some have employed, an 
excess of acid is supposed to be washed off before the 
paint is used; but in spite of this the acid generally 
does injury to the surface. 

There is a method called the zinc sulphate, which 
gives much better results than either of the former ap- 
plications, and its cost is less. When the cement has 
dried properly an application is made of a zinc sulph- 
ate and water of equal parts by weight. When thor- 
oughly mixed this solution is applied over the whole 
surface with a stiff brush. A fine coat is thus formed, 
which at the end of two or three days dries hard and 
firm. The zinc sulphate changes the caustic lime of 
the cement into calcium sulphate or gypsum, and zinc 
oxide is deposited in the pores of the cement. 

Zinc sulphate is one of the most important of the 
white paint pigments, and when paint is subsequently 
applied, this becomes incorporated with it, and gives 
lasting and durable qualities. The zinc sulphate has 
no known injurious effect upon concrete or cement 
surfaces, and consequently there is no disintegrating 
chemical change set up. This method of treating ce- 
ment surfaces to prepare them for painting has been 
used successfully on a great number of private and 
public buildings. 

In preparing cement surfaces for painting, consid- 
eration must be observed as to the effect of the first ap- 



140 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

plication may have both upon the cement and the paint. 
The strong acids that destroy the cement cannot be 
recommended anywhere. 

There are several other methods of preparing ce- 
ment and concrete for painting, so that durable color- 
effects can be obtained, and some of these have given 
excellent results. One of these is to coat the surface 
with a solution of 10 lbs. of carbonate of ammonia to 
45 gallons of water. The solution is applied with a 
brush, once, and left to dry. Insoluble calcium car- 
bonate is formed on the cement surface, and a large 
amount of ammonia is liberated. This leaves a per- 
fect surface for painting. Where mortar containing 
lime is used in building a stucco house, it is better to 
use two weak solutions of this mixture rather than one 
strong solution. The surface of cement is not injured, 
by this wash. 

Waterproof Concrete Paints. — The commit- 
tee on treatment of concrete surfaces of the National 
Association of Cement Users, has investigated a num- 
ber of the so-called waterproof concrete paints and 
finds that they are much more efficient than colorless 
solutions. 

These paints have been divided into two classes : 
First, those which give white, or light tints, or other 
colors pleasing to the eye and of a decorative nature; 
and, second, those which employ compounds of tar 
and asphalt which are necessarily black, or nearly so, 
and are, therefore, seldom used on exposed surfaces. 

The presence of a finely-divided pigment serves to 
seal up the small pores in the surface of the concrete, 
leaving less work to be done by the vehicle. 

In most cases the proportion of pigment used is 
small, and by using a cement color but little change in 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 141 

the surface appearance of the concrete need be made, 
unless desired, while on the other hand, almost any 
shade of color may be obtained. In this way the 
waterproof coating is made more servicable and at 
the same time ornamental. 

All these treatments are applied with a brush in the 
same manner as paint and are probably as durable on 
concrete as paint is on wood. 

Linseed oil paints should not be applied directly to 
new concrete, or to any concrete which has not been 
long exposed to the weather. The free lime in con- 
crete not thoroughly weathered out on the surface by 
exposure to the elements will saponify the oil, destroy- 
ing its adhesive power and its life, and the paint will 
soon peel off. After concrete has been exposed for a 
long time to the elements, linseed oil paint may be used 
with greater safety. It is difficult, however, to de- 
termine when the concrete is sufficiently free from 
lime to render it safe for the application of linseed oil 
paints, and it is therefore safer to avoid their use di- 
rectly on concrete. 

Painting the Surface. — The following have been 
given as corrected formula for painting on cement or 
concrete : 

Priming Coat. — ioo pounds pure white lead, 4 
gals, pure kettle boiled linseed oil (or in place of that 
use 9 gals, pure raw linseed oil and three half-pints 
of turpentine driers) and 1 gal. turpentine. 

Body Coat. — ioo pounds pure white lead, 4 gals, 
pure linseed oil (1-3 boiled and 2-3 raw) or 4 gals, 
pure raw linseed oil and 1 pint turpentine drier. 

Finishing Coat. — 100 pounds pure white lead, 3^ 
gals, pure linseed oil (1-3 boiled and 2-3 raw, or 3! 
gals, pure raw linseed oil and 1 pint turpentine drier), 
and 1 pint pure gum turpentine. 



142 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

Notice that all the ingredients are to be the best 
of the kind. Zinc white is thought to be too hard for 
cement painting - . Some painters prefer red lead for 
the priming coat, using this formula : 85 pounds pure 
diy red lead, 1 gal. pure kettle boiled linseed oil, 
and \ g'al. turpentine. Red lead makes a more nearly 
impervious coating than white lead, and is also quite 
elastic. But the red is objectionable where light 
colors are to be used in the finishing coat, unless a 
g-ood body coat is applied over the red lead paint, 
followed by a good finishing coat. Even then I 
believe there would be danger of the red affecting the 
finish color in time. 

One man says he used a certain brand of cement 
coating and it did not last two weeks. He did it 
over again, his own way, using lead and oil, and he 
got good results. 

Another painter says he uses neutral oil with a little 
drier and turpentine, which makes a good coating. 

A German painter says that in "the old country'' 
they took 25 pounds of white lead and 1 pound of 
beeswax and boiled both together. They applied this 
and it made a good coating, one that proved very dur- 
able. 

The following method of painting a cement wall 
was described at a convention of Canadian master 
painters. The building had become discolored in 
places, and the. joints were of a different color from 
the surface of the blocks. Two parts of Portland 
cement together with one part of marble dust, were 
mixed with water to the consistency of thin paint or a 
thick whitewash. The wall was well wetted before 
the application of this paint and kept constantly wet 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 143 

while the material was applied, and then kept wet for 
a day in order to make the cement wash adhere to the 
cement surface. The wash was applied with ordinary 
whitewash or calcimine brushes, and a man was kept 
busy playing a spray on it while the work was being 
done. The whole secret of success lay in keeping the 
wall constantly wet. 

Another man tells of doing a job on cement walls at 
the University of Cincinnati, with pure lead and zinc, 
just what proportions he did not state, and thinned 
with linseed oil, whether raw or boiled not stated. 
However, the paint was right, as it had to "pass analy- 
sis." In about five years the skim coat of plaster and 
paint all came off. The chemist then said it was a 
mistake to use linseed oil, because in time it contracts 
and pulls the skim plaster off. He thought a water 
paint with more binding matter might answer. 

Here is a somewhat tedious method for preparing- 
and painting cement, but it has the sanction of some 
of our 'best painters: Slake one-half bushel of fresh 
stone lime in a barrel, and add in all 25 gallons of 
water ; when slaked, and cold, add six gallons of the 
best cider vinegar and five pounds of the best dry Ve- 
netian red. Now mix well and then strain through a 
fine wire strainer. Use it when about the consistency 
of thin cream. Give the cement surface a coat of 
this, and after standing a day or so apply a coat of red 
lead and linseed oil paint. After this has dried you 
may paint the surface any color you wish. Some jobs 
require two coats of paint over the red lead paint. In 
this case make the second coat of paint serve as filler 
and paint both. The second coat may be made with 
plaster of Paris and oil, of the consistency of butter- 



144 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

milk. Then break up some white lead and oil to make 
a paint the same consistency as the plaster paint. 
Now take equal parts of each of the two mixtures and 
"box" them together, and thin to a working consist- 
ency with turpentine. This second coat should be 
applied as heavy as possible, or as heavy as you can 
spread it well. After this coat is dry apply your next 
and finishing coat of paint, which should be quite 
glossy, or about as you would for the last coat on 
woodwork outside. The object of giving it this plas- 
ter paint is to prevent the running and wrinkling of 
the paint where considerable paint is to be applied to 
the surface. And it must be made to dry quickly, so 
that you will not likely give the finishing coat before 
the second coat is dry enough, for if you do that there 
will be blistering or cracking. Observe particularly 
that no plaster is to go in the last or finishing coat. 

Zinc sulphate and ammonia carbonate as applied to 
concrete, unless fully satisfied by the presence of cal- 
cium hydroxide are still soluble in water, and thus 
offer difficulties of a serious nature. 

The neutralization of calcium hydrate and calcium 
oxide appearing on the surface of concrete does not 
always mean that the surface will remain neutral. 
Moisture finds its way from the inner portions of the 
block or wall and carries with it alkali — the foe to lin- 
seed oil paints. 

The treatment with zinc sulphate or ammonium car- 
bonate, even though successful, does not offer a solu- 
tion to the problem, because a linseed oil paint is un- 
suited for either exterior or interior painting of con- 
crete. The gloss robs the surface of the appearance 
of stone or masonry. Linseed oil has water-absorb- 
ing, and lacks water-resisting properties. It cannot 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 145 

be applied over a damp or wet surface, which means 
that following a rainstorm or rainy season a painter 
must wait weeks and perhaps months before he can 
commence work on or complete a contract already be- 
gun. 

A series of practical tests develop the fact that a 
wash of zinc sulphate or ammonium carbonate was a 
help in some instances, but the lack of uniformity in re- 
sults, and low degree as well as non-permanency of im- 
provement, demonstrated their inefficiency to cope 
with this important problem. 

Colorless Liquid Coatings. — Certain of these 
may be of some value or service in retarding moisture, 
absorption and efflorescence, but they are all alike 
found lacking in the following respects : 

They serve to emphasize any defects in, or differ- 
ence in, color of concrete construction. 

They impart to concrete a soggy, water-soaked ap- 
pearance. 

They do not render impermeable to moisture for 
any length of time. 

They do not decorate. 

Dust-Laying Compounds for Cement Floors. — 
The best we know of is to mix 25 pounds white lead in 
oil, 10 pounds yellow ochre in oil, and one pound lamp- 
black in oil, adding about one quart raw linseed oil, 
beating all into one homogeneous mass, and while 
stirring it constantly add 1^ gallons kerosene oil of 
150 degrees and one-half gallon of the lime solution, 
as given below, let it stand about 30 minutes, then add 
from one quart to half a gallon brown japan and one 
quart fat linseed oil. This will make 3^ gallons of 
coating to keep down the dust, and is unaffected by the 



146 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

cement, and when worn somewhat any good floor paint 
may be applied over it without being affected by any 
causticity in the cement. The lime solution is pre- 
pared as follows : Pour three gallons hot water over 1 1 
pounds of quick lime, which is in a suitable vessel, 
cover this with burlap or a sack to keep in the steam 
and let stand over night. Then decant the water and 
strain through several thicknesses of cheese cloth and 
bottle for use as above. 

Testing Waterproof Paints. — A number of spe- 
cial coatings of cement have recently been placed on 
the market, the makers of which all claim that they will 
successfully withstand the action of the alkali in the 
cement. It is the action of the alkali in the cement 
which causes the destruction of an ordinary linseed oil 
paint, especially when applied to a new concrete sur- 
face. The waterproofing qualities of a number of 
these special cement coatings are in many cases greatly 
overdrawn. Therefore, in selecting a paint the pur- 
chaser will do well to test it for himself. The sim- 
plest way to do this is to procure a fairly porous brick 
and give it as man} 7 coats of paint as are intended to be 
given to the wall which is to be painted. (Two coats 
are always better than one, especially if a light color is 
to be used.) 

After the coating on the test brick is thoroughly dry, 
have it weighed and make a note of the exact weight. 
Then put the brick in a pan or pail, in which there is 
just enough water to completely cover it. Allow it to 
remain submerged for at least twelve hours, and then 
remove it; after wiping off all of the surface water, 
again weigh it, and compare its weight with the weight 
before it was submerged. The difference in weight 
will show just hew much water went through the coat- 
ing and was absorbed by the brick. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER l47 

Make a number of tests as described above with 
various paints, keeping careful notes of all results. 
The paint which shows the greatest water-resisting 
qualities will be the one to use. In making- the above 
tests b? sure to see that the bricks are thoroughly 
coated, and that plenty of time given for the paint to 
cure or harden before they are submerged in the water. 

Aside from the colored coating mentioned above, 
there are a large number of so-called colorless water- 
proof coatings on the market. These are intended for 
use where one wishes to retain the natural color of the 
concrete. They are also largely used as a preservative 
for limestone, sandstone, etc. Probably one of the 
oldest materials used for this purpose is the ordinary 
commercial paraffin. This is applied to the surface hot 
with a brush. Then the surface thus treated is sub- 
jected to heat, which opens the pores in the stone or 
cement, and allows the paraffin to enter into all the 
small crevices and voids, thus sealing them up and pre- 
venting any further moisture from entering into the 
mass. — Scientific American. 

Pigments Safe With Cement — For buff, yellow 
ochre; for light yellow, zinc yellow (zinc chromate) ; 
for red, red ochre or red oxide of iron: for blue, 
ultramarine blue (the sulphate ultramarine prefer- 
ably) ; for green, ultramarine green or oxide of chrom- 
ium green; for white, zinc oxide or zinc sulphide 
(lithopone) ; for black, mineral black, black oxide of 
manganese, black oxide of iron; for gray, graphite 
and lithopone, or lithopone and mineral black. 

Waxing Cement Floors for Dancing.-- Cement 
floors are as a rule too porous to be waxed successfullv 
without being first filled. Though rather expensive. 



148 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

shellac varnish is most convenient and best adapted 
for preparing the floors in the shortest possible time. 
Two thin coats of orange or brown gum shellac dis- 
solved in denatured alcohol will give the proper found- 
ation for the wax, which should be ordinary floor wax 
applied, with a cloth or brush and polished with a 
weighted floor brush in the usual manner. 

Flatting Over Fresh Cement. — Portland cement 
and sand three weeks old would be actively alkaline, 
and to treat such a surface with any hope of success 
the usual method of painting must be departed from. 
First of all, +reat the surface with a solution of zinc 
sulphate (diluted to about half strength in water). 
Having allowed time for this treatment to become 
thoroughly dry, coat with paint, thinned only in tur- 
pentine, and bound sufficiently with varnish. For the 
second coat, use a similar mixture. The third coat 
should be thinned with three parts boiled linseed oil 
and one part turpentine. The flatting coat should be 
thinned out with turpentine, with the addition of 
varnish for the purpose of binding. A job of this 
nature might be successful. 

"In painting, it is well to use considerably more 
turpentine than is ordinarily the case, and very little 
driers. In fact, boiled linseed oil is considered prefer- 
able to raw. For priming, the paint should be used 
thin, and contain so much turpentine that it is almost 
flat, increasing the amount of oil for succeeding coats. 
Each coat must be given ample time to dry before the 
next one is applied." — Anon. 

Removing Paint Spots and Stains from Stone 
and Cement Pavements. — Make two solutions, as 
follows : 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 149 

i. Place one-half pound of lime in a suitable vessel 
and slake the same with as little water as is required; 
then add one-half pound of caustic soda (98 per cent.) 
and one quart of water. Stir a while and let stand to 
cool down. 

2. In another vessel slake one pound of quicklime 
with as little water as is necessary to make it fall into 
a powder. Then add one quart of water. Cover the 
vessel and let stand to cool down. 

When the heat is well off, strain both solutions 
through a paint strainer, then mix the two, stirring 
well. 

Now boil one-half pound wheat flour in one quart 
of water to a thick paste, but have no lumps in the 
same. 

While still hot, under constant stirring, in order to 
prevent lumping, slowly pour the combined solutions, 
No. 1 and No. 2, into the paste, and when cool you 
will have a medium stiff paste, which will, when applied 
to the thickness of one-sixteenth of an inch, remove any 
oil or varnish paint in from thirty to forty-five min- 
utes from wood, iron, cement or stone. When the 
paint is removed, the surface should be immediately 
washed with strong vinegar or acetic acid to destroy 
any caustic matter. If the wood is somewhat discolored 
it may be bleached with a strong" solution of oxalic 
acid in water. Be careful when handling caustics. 
Also remember that oxalic acid is a poison. The caustic 
will destroy bristles. Use fiber brush. 

Slake three pounds of quicklime ( builders' lime is 
best) with enough boiling water to make it fall to 
pieces ; cover the pot with a bag or piece of burlap to 
keep in the steam. In the meantime dissolve one 
pound of caustic soda or pearlash in enough hot water 
to effect a thorough solution and add it, while stirring. 



150 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

to the slake lime. Do not make the paste too thin, but 
like a semi-paste paint, and apply over the spots with a 
fiber brush (not a hair brush). Leave it on for a few 
hours, then wash it off with warm water, and finally 
with clear water and mop. Protect your hands with 
rubber gloves. 




THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 151 



STAINING AND PAINTING SHINGLES 

Ireosote the Best Preservative. — It is 
I generally conceded that the best preservative 
I for wood of any kind is creosote, but how 
I many of us can define what creosote really 
is? Roughly speaking, the creosote oil of 
commerce is what is known as "dead oil of coal tar." 
This coal tar creosote consists of all oils known as the 
"heavy oils," beinp' residual oil, creosote, and pitch in 
solutions. This, "creosote" is what has been used for 
over a hundred years on railroad ties, etc. It is too 
crude a nature to be used "neat" in shingle stains, and 
many manufacturers simply thin it down with light oils 
such as benzine, etc. It is unnecessary to remark that 
benzine used in this way is "dope," which destroys the 
preservative qualities of the creosote. On the other 
hand, unless a large quantity of colorless thinner is used 
for this coal tar creosote, its color is so strong that it 
will "kill" almost any color used with it, causing a 
brown or black streakiness that spoils the appearance 
of a roof. Painters should always look with suspicion 
on any so-called "creosote" that has a benzine smell. 
It is proof that it has been adulterated to the point of 
making it nearly valueless as a preservative, otherwise 
the smell of the benzine could not be detected over 
the powerful tarry smells of the creosote. 

There is another creosote called "wood creosote," 
which is largely used in the manufacture of shingle 
stains, and sold as "creosote" oil. It is a very light 
gravity oil of strong color and smell. The color is 
often given by the addition of "japan," and if the 
smell of this "japan" can be detected, reject it as being 



152 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

of the "doped" variety. Any adulteration that 
produces evaporation destroys the preservative value 
of the "creosote." 

The shingle stain should be transparent of color. It 
should not contain water. It should be free from 
poisonous matter, and there is no need of using poison- 
ous pigment in its preparation. 

Next to the preservative quality comes the subject 
of color. Mere preservative qualities without good 
appearance will not satisfy the public, and the two must 
be happily combined to give satisfaction. 

The siennas, umber and oxides, easily adapt them- 
selves to the making of stains with sufficient grinding, 
but the greens and reds require special attention. 
Experience has taught us that no greens but the high- 
priced "chemically pure" are of any use. It is ground 
with an asbestos float of light gravity, which prevents 
the pigment from settling. The colors are ground 
fine enough to float well throughout the mix, insuring 
good color-cover power, and rendering stirring prac- 
tically unnecessary. 

The reds, apart from the oxide red, is subject to the 
same treatment as the greens, and should be chemically 
pure color, or mineral color, not aniline, as aniline 
colors will not stand the sun. 

How to Stain Shingles. — But it must be borne in 
mind that certain conditions must be observed in using 
these stains if the best results are to be obtained. The 
shingles should be perfectly dry before applying the 
stains. The shingles should be opened out of the 
bundle, and given time for drying. If it be neces- 
sary to thin the stain, use only raw linseed oil for out- 
side, and turps for inside work. But it is seldom 
required, and if the stain is made too thin the color 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 153 

is apt to fade out, and in any event will have a washed- 
out look. The stains are made of the right consistency 
for application and should need no thinning after 
leaving the factory. It has happened that the painter 
has extended the stain with kerosene, which is destruc- 
tive to the stain. The stain will dry hard over metal, 
and when it does not you may suspect that kerosene 
oil has been put into it. The pure shingle stain con- 
tains more oil than paint does, and in consequence it 
needs plenty of air to make it dry when used inside. 
When used inside, the stain should stand at least 24 
hours before being varnished over. The inside stains 
are not quite so permanent as the outside, being mixed 
largely with turps, but they will stand the direct sun- 
light for six years at least. 

"In regards to painting shingle roofs, in this state 
where we have wet and dry seasons, I have had some 
repair jobs on cedar shingle roofs that have been 
painted. I find that at the end of each shingle the paint 
line is just a little higher than the shingle under, which 
has a tendency to hold the water that drains between 
the shingles, and as there is no way for the water to 
pass over this line, it therefore goes into the wood 
and stains can be seen on the under side of the shingle, 
unless the roof be very steep. Many of our architects 
specify stain, using the common creosote stain, but the 
shingles are dipped before laying, which gives the stain 
an even surface for more than two-thirds the length, 
and makes a lasting and perfect exposed surface. I 
have found old roofs, not painted, made of cedar 
shingles, that were perfectly sound and waterproof." — 
National Builder. 

Artistic Coloring. — When staining a shingle roof 
use as few shades as possible, as this gives a more 



154 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

pleasing effect than where several colors are used, and, 
if possible, do the entire job in one color. The greenish 
shades such as the olives, please the general public 
taste better than the other shades, probably because 
they harmonize more perfectly with nature. Avoid 
a reddish-brown or a pronounced yellow, or even a 
strongly yellowish-brown with a green roof. In fact, 
a greenish roof should be combined with a cool gray, 
and it cannot be effected by using Prussian blue. A 
beautiful effect may be gained by taking a pail of quite 
thin red and one of quite thin green, and with one 
brush put on the colors alternately, so as to give the 
varnishing effect of green and red, as seen upon 
autumn leaves. With this for the sides, a green roof 
may be used, the effect of the sides, at a distance, being- 
grayish, and not red and green. 

When a roof is to be painted or colored in any way, 
its use and location should be considered. A low roof, 
or roof of a low building, should be of a lighter color 
than that of a high and more imposing building. Light 
colors make a cooler roof, but they are more objection- 
able to the eye than darker colors, especially where 
sure to meet the eye frequently. The surroundings of 
a building are to be taken into consideration also. A 
rural dwelling that is surrounded by trees or shrubbery 
should have bright colors, such as red and ochre, 
which look very charming when viewed through the 
dark green leafage. The roof is a very salient part of 
a building's architectural features, and should receive 
artistic and skilful treatment. A badly painted roof 
may spoil the entire appearance of the best painted 
house. 

The best way is to dip the shingles in the stain to a 
depth of about two-thirds their length, throwing them 
in a pile to dry. After they have been laid apply a 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 155 

coat of the same stain with a paint brush, which will 
give a deeper and more uniform color, besides which 
it will color the parts that were cut to lit around 
dormers, etc. Stir the stain in the barrel often, and if 
you do not dip the shingles then give two brush coats 
on the roof. 

The advantage of dipping is in the fact that all parts 
of the shingle are protected, and when the shingles 
warp apart, under the influence of the sun and wind, 
there will be no raw places to show through, and which 
unpainted parts detract very much from the appearance 
of a job of this kind. Dipping shingles will also keep 
them from warping. 

Cheap Stain. — For a cheaper grade, the thinners 
may be made by mixing three gallons water white 150 
degree test petroleum oil, three gallons creosote oil 
and one gallon liquid drier. 

Crude oil, kerosene, benzine or other mineral oils 
also will not unite with the creosote, although such 
admixtures are frequently made by the painter. 

Frequently shingles are painted. This should never 
be done, except they are dipped in their entirety to 
insure a full coating, which would prevent rain and 
moisture from being absorbed by the wood. 

A painting of the shingles after they are laid is the 
most ruinous treatment they can receive, as the paint 
on the surface of the shingle will prevent the moisture 
from evaporating and will cause rot and decay. 

An unpainted shingle will last better and longer 
than a painted one, as the moisture has a chance to 
evaporate within a reasonable time. — George Whigelt. 

Creosote stains are not poisonous, as some painters 
imagine, but will heal sores, burns, etc., better than any 



156 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

thing- we know of. Water from creosoted roofs is 
unpleasant to the taste and should not be used for 
drinking purposes though the stains are mainly of non- 
poisonous pigments. 

Creosote Stains. — Reject any alleged creosote 
stain that will not come up to the following test : 

It should be somewhat heavier than water — 1.030, 
water being 1.000. It should be a deep brown color, 
with probably a slight green tinge; it should distinctly 
smell of carbolic acid ; it should give a clear brown spot 
when a few drops of it are run onto white blotting 
paper; if the center of the spot shows up black or very 
dark, reject the oil as fictitious or carelessly made. It 
should be free from crystals or deposit, and should 
show no thickening or crystallization at 40 deg., 
Fahr. 

When using creosote stains and they should cause 
a burning sensation on the arms or hands, due to care- 
less or much use, rub with linseed oil and wipe dry; 
do this frequently to prevent burning. Never wash off 
with water, as that will increase the discomfort by 
dissolving out the tar acids, of which true creosote 
contains about 10 per cent. 

Creosote stains will become more or less thick in 
cold weather, owing to the more or less solid napthaline 
always found in creosote. In cold weather this may be 
remedied by keeping in a place above 40 degrees, and 
heating slightly when muddied by cold. 

Not all pigments may be used with creosote, owing 
to the fact that creosote contains more or less sulphur 
compounds, in solution, and these by coming in contact 
with pigments containing metallic bases will very soon 
change the color to muddy or darker shades. The 
dark creosotes may be used for the dark colors, like 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 157 

chrome green, gray, yellows, etc., use the refined 
creosote oil. This has been deprived of all or very 
nearly all of the sulphur compounds, making an oil 
that is very nearly inert to all pigments. 

Painting Shingle Roofs. — Let it be of a good 
mineral pigment mixed with pure linseed oil only, with 
a little japan driers. Mix it quite thin — a mere priming 
coat — and the damming of the cracks will be greatly 
lessened, if not entirely avoided. It is best to use pig- 
ments that are ground in oil, for the dry pigment is 
too coarse for this purpose. Nor should a ready 
mixed paint be used, for it will likely be unfitted for 
this particular purpose. After mixing the paint, strain 
it through a fine sieve, which will remove any foreign 
particles and make the mass more perfectly incorporat- 
ed. To mix it, add a little oil to the pigment at first, 
and work it into a smooth paste, gradually adding more 
oil until the mass is quite soft, and then it may be 
further thinned for application. The use of driers 
should be carefully done, as excess of this liquid will 
tend to injure the paint, so that it will not wear as well. 
Paint on shingles is on a position to suffer a great 
deal more from the weather and sun than where used 
on the sides of houses. Therefore, see that it is of the 
best quality and carefully mixed. Many times it will 
not require any driers, as in summer, in dry weather. 

Shingles may be dipped in paint just as with single 
stain, by making the paint very thin, and adding some 
benzine to the mixture, which will thin out the paint 
and make it more penetrative, while not affecting the 
paint, as it evaporates and leaves the oil as it was. 
Place the thin paint in a tub or half barrel, and tack a 
strip across, and as you dip the shingle draw it against 
the strip, which will remove the excess of paint. 



158 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

The pigments used for the shingle painting should 
be not only very finely ground, but transparent also. 
Such colors as raw and burnt sienna, raw and burnt 
umber, chrome green, chrome yellow, Prussian blue 
and drop black are useful pigments. These colors may 
be used alone, or in compounds, according to the colors 
you wish. Thus umber makes a walnut shade, as also 
does Vandyke brown, only darker ; raw sienna makes an 
oak color ; burnt sienna makes a cherry color ; a light 
pigment may be toned down with black or umber or 
Vandyke brown ; Vandyke brown may be imitated by 
mixing together burnt umber and black. Raw sienna 
and a little burnt umber will give a dark oak color. 
Chrome yellow will lighten up chrome green, and black 
will tone it down. Zinc white will be used when a 
white is desired, because it is non-poisonous, a matter 
to be considered when the water is to be used for 
culinarv purposes ; sometimes the water from the roof 
is caught in a cistern and used. In such a case do not 
use any of the lead color, such as chrome yellow, 
chrome green or white lead. Vandyke brown and 
also drop, ivory and lamp black, are perfectly safe 
colors to ase. 

Colors may be blended on the roof after painting by 
applying two or more colors in bands like, and softly 
blending them with the brush. This makes some very 
pretty effects, and takes very little more time. For 
this purpose use the paint slightly thicker. 




THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 159 



PAINTING WITH RED LEAD 

,HE difference between red and white lead 
may be simply stated by saying that white 
lead is pure lead plus carbonic acid gas, 
and red lead is pure lead plus oxygen. 
Both forms of lead are made from the 
metal lead, and when the gases which combined them 
to form red or white lead are driven off by heat, they 
resume the pure metallic form again. By a special 
method of heating the lead, melting it and allowing 
air to pass freely over it, there is first obtained 
litharge, PbO. Further heating produces red lead 
or orange mineral, Pb 3 4 . This orange mineral is 
very similar to red lead and ought to answer as well 
for painting", but does not. 

There are many kinds of red lead on the market, 
and nearly all are pure lead pigments, but their value 
as painting materials varies greatly within wide lim- 
its. Chemically, red lead is a mixture of litharge 
and red lead. It is the litharge that causes the mixed 
red lead paint to set so hard in the pot or keg after 
being mixed with oil and allowed to stand for some 
time. Broadly speaking, the more litharge a red lead 
contains the heavier it is, the less covering power it 
has, pound for pound, and the more it tends to set- 
tle or become hard after mixing. Government speci- 
fications call for a red lead containing at least 94 
per cent, red lead, and this is true also of many of the 
largest railway companies. This insures the mini- 
mum amount of litharge and the maximum bulkiness 
and fineness. They also specify that the red lead must 
be mixed on the spot, when wanted for use, in pure, 



160 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



raw, well settled linseed oil, and without driers. Such 
a paint will dry by oxidation on the surface to which 
it is applied, in a cement-like film, that admits of no 
pores through which moisture may infiltrate, first 
they see that the surface to which the paint is to be 
applied is made perfectly free from scale, and clean. 

A ready mixed red lead paint cannot be a pure 
paint, for the reason that it would become too hard in 
the container to be useful. Hence such paint is 
mixed with such substances as China clay, silica, or 
similar inert materials, which tend to prevent hard- 
ening. Whiting and barytes also are used in this way, 
but such compounds have no more value than iron 
oxide paint, which merely affords a loose, porous 
film, quite unlike a red lead paint film. Some of the 
ready mixed red leads contain soap, paraffin, wax, 
asbestine or graphite, which keep the red lead in 
suspension. The only way to do in order to have 
a perfect coating is to mix the dry red lead and oil 
on the operation, day by day. 

Excepting in special cases, and which are given 
in this connection, no driers should be added to red 
lead paint, for it will dry easily with raw linseed oil. 
Driers decompose the oil. 

A peculiarity of red lead paint is that it will as- 
sist in drying the paint coating over it. If you prime 
or first-coat with red lead and place a white lead coat 
above it, the latter will be assisted in drying by the 
influence of the red lead beneath it. Hence very lit- 
tle, if any driers need be added to the latter coating. 

After drying, red lead paint remains elastic, a very 
important feature, particularly as regards metal, for 
it allows of expansion and contraction without al- 
lowing the paint to crack in any degree. It also 
hardens without shriveling, even where applied in 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 161 



heavy coats, and forms the toughest and most per- 
fect insoluble combination of all forms of protective 
paints. It imparts no oxyg'en to iron, even when ex- 
posed constantly to dampness. 

Red lead should be very finely ground, for then it 
has less tendency to settle in the pot. Some red leads 
are coarse and crystalline, and so unfitted for paint. 
Examine under a microscope and compare with a 
standard good grade. If the red lead is pure and 
very fine, it is just as good when mixed dry with oil 
as it could possibly be with grinding in oil. Mix only 
what is required for immediate or daily use. 

It is advised by some to mix up red lead for next 
day's use by adding about three-quarters of the oil 
necessary to its proper mixing, forming a stiff paste, 
which will give a more perfect admixture of pigment 
and oil. Next morning, when ready to use it, add 
the balance of the oil to form a suitable paint, stirring 
in the oil thoroughly and keeping the mix well stirred 
in the pot while using. Clean out the paint pot at 
quitting time, allowing none of the paint to remain, 
as it would become like cement in the pot if left there. 
If not kept continually stirred while in use the oil 
will, by settling to the top, be used up first, and the 
work will show less and less of the lead until the oil 
is used up. Mix thin, and brush it out well; allow 
one coat to become perfectly dry before applying the 
next coat. 

A satisfactory thinning of red lead paint may be 
had by mixing at the rate of 33 pounds of the lead 
to one gallon of raw oil and one quart of turpentine, 
and if not thin enough add a little more oil. As a 
rule turpentine, should not be used with red lead, 
but is sometimes used when the weather is damp or 



162 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



very cold, as it then facilitates the spreading of the 
paint. 

While plenty of oil is advised in mixing red lead, 
the rule has some exceptions. If we can get heavy 
red lead paint on, rubbing it out well and having the 
least amount of oil in it, it will be more wear resist- 
ing than a very oily red lead paint. But painters 
object to the difficulty of spreading heavy red lead 
paint, and for this reason they will thin it out too 
much. This causes the paint to sag" or run. Dried, 
uncombined linseed oil, whether raw or boiled, is an 
absorbent of water, and hence the more red lead and 
the less oil the better it will protect metal. 

Raw oil may be used in summer, and boiled oil in 
winter. 

The use of dry red lead is one of the very few ex- 
ceptions to the rule that a dry pigment mixed with 
boiled oil should never be used as a primer. 

It is held by some that red lead paint mixed with 
raw oil will not harden without the assistance of some 
driers, and when applied to iron will not prevent 
rusting. This is true where the oil contains some 
non-drying or non-saponifying oils, as adulterants, or 
if the red lead is adulterated with iron ore or red 
stained barytes (neutral), since these pigments can- 
not assist in the drying of the oil. But it is well 
known that no paint hardened by driers can be water- 
proof. The drier, being" a liquid, unites with the oil 
acids before the slower acting dry basic pigment can 
combine with it, leaving behind the neutral fats of 
the linseed oil, which have little or no chemical af- 
finity for basic pigments, and the paint remains a con- 
veyor of water, and so the iron is attacked and de- 
stroyed by rust. 



TEE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 163 



It is generally the custom to use boiled oil with 
reel lead, for painting- iron structural work, but this 
is a mistake, for the reason that boiled oil being neu- 
tral does not saponify sufficiently to prevent free 
red lead and uncombined oil in the paint, and the 
result cf this is that the free oil must oxidize by ab- 
sorption from the air ; this oxidized oil finally becomes 
brittle and perishes. Paint thus prepared is not water- 
proof, and hence cannot protect the iron. 

Red lead is especially valuable for painting wrought 
iron. Cast iron is rough and will hold any sort of 
paint, but the wrought iron is smooth and needs a- 
tough, elastic paint which will hold of itself, no mat- 
ter what the condition of things beneath it. This, 
red lead paint does; but care must be taken not to 
make the coating too thick or heavy, especially when 
boiled oil is used, as this would cause wrinkling, be- 
sides making a surface that would likely crack super- 
incumbent coats of paint. 

Preventing Settling. — There are ways to pre- 
vent the settling of red lead in the pot, and while the 
materials employed for this purpose injure the protec- 
tive qualities of the paint more or less, yet in some 
cases it will not be found very objectionable. Thus, 
by mixing the dry red lead to a pulp with water, then 
adding the oil, stirring it in vigorously to incorporate 
it with the water and lead, the lead will hang in the 
oil for hours without settling. The water will then 
dry out after the paint has been applied, and possibly 
leaving the lead and oil more intimately mixed than 
it would have been without the water. 

Another way is to add whiting, which will also pre- 
vent sagging. Sagging is a fault of red lead that is 
too heavy, and on a very close or hard surface. The 



164 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



whiting" does not seem to affect the wearing of the 
paint appreciably, but of course too much of it must 
not be used. It does not alter the color of the paint 
unless used in excess. You may add as much as one- 
half or even three-fourths whiting. It makes the 
paint work easier, holds it in suspension, prevents sag- 
ging, and some say it adds to the elasticity of the 
coating, though this may well be doubted. Such a 
paint will adhere to metal well, and its color may be 
modified with lampblack. 

The addition of lampblack seems to improve red 
lead paint, not only in giving it a more agreeable 
color, but by making it more elastic and durable, and 
some think it keeps the lead in suspension to some 
extent. The addition of one-sixteenth of an ounce 
of lampblack to the pound of red lead will give a 
pleasing chocolate brown. It is not advised to add 
more lampblack than this if the best results are de- 
sired with the paint. And when lampblack is used 
with red lead there should be a larger proportion of 
oil than when the red lead is mixed alone in oil, as 
lampblack takes up more oil than red lead does. 

The iron surface that is to be painted should be 
made clean by scraping and dusting off, and the first 
coat may be mixed from dry red lead and raw oil 
three-fourths, and turpentine one-fourth, or turpen- 
tine may be omitted and oil increased to that amount. 
The second coat may contain some turpentine, but 
the third and last coat should consist only of raw lin- 
seed oil. A job done in this way will retain a bright 
surface for a long time. 

To ascertain the cost of a red lead paint made ac- 
cording to the formula I have given, estimate the 33 
pounds of red lead, dry, as seven-sixteenths of a gal- 
lon increase over the amount of liquid used in thin- 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 165 

niiig the red lead. One gallon of this paint will cover 
approximately 800 square feet of plain painting on 
average metal surface. 

The following will show the results obtained when 
different proportions of lampblack are used : 
20 lbs. red lead f 1 gal. of paint and covers 
5^ lbs. raw oil i 1200 sq. ft. ratio, 1/16 oz. 

1^ oz. lampblack ;(_ lampblack to lb. red lead. 

14 lbs. red lead'' 1. gal. of paint and covers 

6 lbs. raw oil i 1200 sq. ft. ratio, | oz. 

7 oz. lampblack ^ lampblack to lb. red lead. 

10 lbs. red lead f 1. gal. of paint and covers 
6\ lbs. raw oil \ 1620 sq. ft. ratio, 1 oz. 

10 oz. lampblack^ lampblack to lb. red lead. 

In blendings of lampblack and red lead the use of 
boiled or raw oil with japan is desirable. Says the 
president of one of the best-known lead oxidizing 
companies : 

"Red lead and lampblack dry very slowly in raw 
oil, less slowly than when japan is introduced, and 
in boiled oil dry more quickly, the drying property 
varying with the quantity of lampblack used — the 
more lampblack the more slowly the paint dries. So 
in a mixture of red lead, lampblack, raw oil and japan 
or boiled oil the amount of japan necessary will vary 
with the amount of lampblack used. We wish to say, 
however, that japan or boiled oil are employed not so 
much for their drying properties as they are for the 
purpose of a binder to prevent the red lead, lamp- 
black and oil separating from each other, which is 
occasioned on account of the red lead being so much 
heavier." 

In about the proportions of the preceding tables, 
"mixtures of red lead, lampblack and raw oil dried in 



166 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

from 1 6 to 24 hours, the mixture containing the most 
lampblack being the longest in drying. Red lead, 
raw oil, lampblack and boiled oil, about 12 hours." 
These results will vary with the weather, etc. 

Red Lead Paint Formulas. — 1. To 100 pounds 
dry red lead add four to five gallons of raw linseed 
oil, one quart of turpentine japan, and one quart of 
good varnish. 

2. To 100 pounds of dry red lead add four gallons 
of raw linseed oil, one quart of turpentine, one-half 
pint of japan for slow work, and one pint of japan 
for quick work. This formula is used in a Baltimore 
shipyard. 

3. To 100 pounds of dry red lead add four gallons 
of raw oil, for summer, and boiled oil for winter, 
one gallon of turpentine and one-half gallon of japan. 
This is the formula used by the Pennsylvania Rail- 
road Company. 

4. To make a paint, one railway company adds 
10 ounces of lampblack to 12 pounds of red lead, mix- 
ing this with sufficient raw linseed oil to make one 
gallon of paint. 

5. The first formula given is from Messrs. Booth, 
Garrett and Blair, chemists, of Philadelphia, and here 
is the process for making the paint : For the first 
coat use 11 pounds of red lead to one quart of oil. 
Let this thick mixture stand a short time, then thin 
it with a mixture of one pint of raw oil and one- 
quarter pint of japan. This will make one-half gal- 
lon of mixed paint. For the second coat take 10 
pounds of red lead, three ounces of lampblack, and 
one quart of oil. Thin this with one pint of oil and 
one-quarter pint of japan. 

6. Red lead paint may be made by thinning 25 
pounds of dry red lead with one gallon of raw lin- 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 167 



seed oil, mixing thoroughly, and straining. To 
hasten drying add a gill of good driers. This will 
make a gallon and one-half of paint, and ordinarily 
will cover 700 square feet, one coat, of iron surface. 
7. A certain railroad company uses 21 pounds of 
red lead to a gallon of oil. A New York bridge com- 
pany specifies the ratio of three and one-half of red 
lead to one of linseed oil by weight. The Pennsyl- 
vania Railroad Station, at Broad Street, Philadel- 
phia, took 20 pounds of red lead to the gallon. 

NON-IIARDENTNG PAINT FORMULA: 

65 lbs. dry red lead. 

10 lbs. dry silica. 

10 lbs. dry China clay. 

1 lb. drier 

1 lb. turpentine substitute. 

20 lbs. linseed oil, raw. 

Red lead is permanent except in presence of sul- 
phur or sulphides. 

Comparative Cost of Red Lead and Oxide of 
Iron Paint. — A pigment that gives a very satisfac- 
tory reddish brown and contains about 40 per cent, 
of iron oxide makes a satisfactory paint containing 
approximately 56 per cent, pigment and 44 per cent, 
vehicle, the vehicle being very much the same as that 
used in a first-class white paint. Such a paint will 
weigh about 13.5 pounds to the gallon, which, there- 
fore, will contain 7.56 pounds of pigment and 5.94 
pounds of the vehicle. This pigment is cheap, gener- 
ally costing not more than one or one and one-half 
cents per pound. The pigment in a gallon of this 
paint, therefore, would cost approximately 10 cents, 



168 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

and the 5.94 pounds of vehicle about 73 cents, giv- 
ing a cost of 83 cents for the gallon of paint. 

An inspection of these figures shows that the expen- 
sive part of this paint is the vehicle and not the pig- 
ment. A paint of this character is a very good ma- 
terial to apply either to wood or iron. There are 
more expensive paints, however, frequently used on 
iron to protect it from rusting, the most popular being 
red lead and linseed oil. This material undoubtedly 
affords very good protection, but it is also expensive. 
A red-lead paint cannot be made and kept as other 
paints can. The red lead itself causes the oil to dry, 
and no additional drier is necessary. In fact, red 
lead should not be mixed until just before it is used. 
A paint made of 70 per cent, of red lead and 30 
per cent, of linseed oil will weigh about 19.8 pounds 
to the gallon. A gallon of paint, therefore, will con- 
tain 13.86 pounds of red lead, which costs about 
eight cents a pound, making the cost of the pigment 
in a gallon of this paint approximately $1.11. The 
30 per cent, of linseed oil will weigh 5.94 pounds, 
and a gallon of linseed oil 7.75 pounds, costing about 
90 cents at the present time, or 11.5 cents a pound. 
The oil in the paint will cost then about 68 cents, 
and a gallon of red-lead paint would cost $1.79, as 
compared with 83 cents for a gallon of oxide of iron 
paint. These two paints will cover about the same 
area of clean iron, and while somewhat better service 
might be expected from the red-lead paint, it is more 
than twice as expensive as the iron-oxide products. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 169 




PAINTING TIN ROOFS 

IN PLATE in sheet form is not the same 
as in its pure state as an ore. As a metal 
pure and simple, it is of a brittle, crystal- 
line nature. It belongs to a class of soft 
metals, but not like lead or copper, suffi- 
ciently soft and malleable to be of practical 
value in sheet form without being- alloyed with some 
other metal. To be of practical value as a sheet 
metal, it must be united to a harder and tougher 
metal ; This harder and tougher metal to be the body 
of the plate, and of a texture not too fine a grain, 
but sufficiently porous, so that the applied coating 
or plating of tin will penetrate beneath the surface 
and form a covering for the same, that will be last- 
ing and not wash off by rains or weather exposure. 
In these later years, since there has been so much 
agitation unfavorably and otherwise, over the subject 
of the quality of the tin now in use for roofing, manu- 
facturers have been led to stamp on each sheet the 
brand and quality of the tin. The thickness of tin 
plate is designated thus; IC for the lightest grade; 
IX, one cross, the next heavier ; IXX, two crosses, 
still heavier, and so on up until the highest grade, 
IXXXXXXX, seven crosses, is reached. The heavier 
grades above IXXXX are not in general use. 

There are two classes of tin plate, termed bright tin 
and terne plate. The former is used mostly for all 
work except for roofing purposes. The latter, terne 
plate, is used almost wholly for roofing purposes 
and in most, if not in all cases, where the metal is 



170 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

subjected to outside weather exposure and climatic 
conditions. Before the introduction of terne plate, 
bright tin was used for roofing, as well as in all de- 
partments of the sheet metal industry, but for roof- 
ing purposes terne plate is considered better, as it is 
presumed to stand all kinds of atmospheric action 
upon it better than the bright tin. This is owing to 
the fact that the alloy with which it is coated or 
plated is composed of lead and tin, in the proportion 
of two-thirds lead to one-third pure tin. 

The difference between a good and a poor quality 
of tin plate lies in the nature and character of its 
plated surface and in the fibral texture of the body 
plate which forms its base. But more largely in the 
latter, the fibral texture of its base, than in the com- 
position of its outer surface, when considering its 
durability. The best quality of tin plate, both the 
bright tin and the terne or roofing plate, shows a 
bright surface on each side of the plate, free from 
specks or streaks. The bright tin plated wholly with 
pure tin has a bright polish of silvery hue. The terne 
plate coating, being two-thirds lead and one-third tin, 
presents more of a leaden hue, both sides of the sheet 
being covered with a smooth, mottled surface. The 
body of the plate of the metal is soft and pliable, 
and of the best grade, free from pinholes or blem- 
ish of any kind, and sufficiently tough in its fibral 
texture to be worked into locked seams without 
cracking the body plate or its outside coating. 

It is a well-known fact that prior to 1875 there 
was no such thing known as a steel base for tin plate 
in general use. 

It is also an equally known fact that tin roofs be- 
gan to deteriorate in value on the introduction of 
Bessemer steel base since that time. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 171 



Upon the cause of this deterioration, Mr. W. S. 
Goddard had this to say before the tin plate confer- 
ence : "That while the cause of this trouble is a 
question as yet unsolved, we know that it does exist 
and no remedy has yet been found. It is known to 
be what is called an internal corrosion, or disinte- 
gration of the steel base between the coatings. When 
this occurs the coating disappears and you have a 
pinhole or rust spot; for it is a well-known fact that 
the coating will not adhere to rust or when the sur- 
face is not perfectly clean. 

Rust, or the hydrated oxide of iron, once estab- 
lished, contains all the elements of a long and cease- 
less life, and as long as it is in contact with a ferric 
body its activity never ceases. It is to a terne plate 
what a cancer is to the human body. Rust begets 
rust. It may be held in check for a time, but when 
the efficacy of the material used to check it is ex- 
hausted, then the rust again commences its inroads. 
There is only one cure, and that is to eliminate every 
trace of rust." 

So we can see the senselessness of the claim put 
forth by many, that a tin roof should be allowed to 
rust before being painted. Those who advocate this, 
simply start the rust on the way and defeat just what 
the mixture of lead and tin is applied to the plate 
for, namely, to preserve it from rust. 

It is a well-known fact that all the old reliable 
brands of tin made their enviable reputations as a 
roofing material on the fact that the base of the metal 
was charcoal iron. Examples of which in this coun- 
try and in Canada, to say nothing of its use in 
England and other countries, show that these roofs 
have stood the test of seventy-five years or more. 



172 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



Now, in considering the relative value of iron and 
steel as a body for sheet tin, the question arises, 
wherein lies the difference between them. The sur- 
face covering or plating in both cases are the same. 
and all other things being equal, their lasting quali- 
ties are the same. So, if one is better than the other 
for roofing purposes, we must look for the cause of 
it not in the character of the surface covering, but in 
the character of the metal which forms its base. The 
test in this matter is the comparative ability of the 
two metals to withstand weather exposure under all 
kinds of climatic conditions. 

New tin is covered with palm oil, and as paint 
will not adhere to palm oil, this oil should be removed 
before painting. There are two ways to do this. The 
right way is to scrape off the rosin and take cotton 
waste and benzine and wash off the palm oil. This 
should be done immediately after the roof has been 
put on. Benzine cuts the grease, cleans the tin and 
leaves it bright and ready for immediate painting. 
The benzine costs but little, and when this method is 
adopted the life of the roof will be more than doubled. 

The other way to get rid of the palm oil, and the 
way most generally adopted, because it is cheaper, is 
to let the roof remain unpainted until the rain has 
washed the palm oil off; but in the meantime the 
tin has become rusty. In the end this is the more 
expensive way, for unless the rust is thoroughly 
cleaned from the tin, it will go on eating even under 
a coat of paint, and shorten the life of the roof. 

"I well remember the first tin roof I ever painted. 
It looked easy enough, and I applied the paint in the 
usual way, and was much surprised when it did not 
stick. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 173 

"This set me to thinking, and I took particular 
occasion to study the next tin roof I had to paint, 
and discovered that the tinner had left many traces 
of rosin, the tin was also very greasy in many places, 
and I did not wonder that the paint on the first job 
didn't stick. 

"I experimented with different solutions, and found 
the best way to go about it was to scrape off all the 
rosin first and go over every seam with kerosene, then 
wash the roof off with good, clean water. 

"When a roof is greasy, wash it with a solution 
of sal soda water, about three-fourths of a pound to 
five quarts of water, let it stand for a few hours until 
thoroughly dried, and this will do the trick." — Cor- 
respondent. 

The roof should be carefully cleaned of all rosin 
spots, dirt, etc., and should be bone-dry before the 
paint is applied. Keep workmen off the roof as 
much as possible at all times, before and after paint- 
ing. _ 

After the roof has been cleaned with benzine a coat 
of paint should be immediately applied. In all cases 
the paint should be well brushed out, as a thin coat 
is better than a thick one, because it is more elastic 
and more readily contracts and expands with the tin. 

Regarding painting an old tin roof, first let the 
tinner repair any possible damages. In case this is 
not done, or cannot conveniently be done, then scrape 
and clean the tin, and where a leak is found or sus- 
pected, take a strip of linen toweling and dip it in 
the paint, and lay it smoothly on the broken part. 
Then paint the roof with a good paint, iron oxide or 
graphite, as desired. Linen material is advised in 
this method, for the reason that cotton will rot from 
the action of the oil, while linen will not. 



174 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



The working specifications adopted by the National 
Association of Master Sheet Metal Workers require 
the initial painting to be carried out as follows : We 
quote verbatim : 

"Painting: Before laying, the tin to be painted 
one coat on the under side. The upper surface of the 
tin roof to be carefully cleaned of all rosin, dirt, etc., 
and immediately painted. Paint to be of pure metal- 
lic brown, iron oxide, or Venetian red as pigment, 
mixed with pure linseed oil. No patent drier or tur- 
pentine to be used. All coats of paint to be applied 
with a hand-brush and well rubbed on. Apply a sec- 
ond coat two weeks after the first. The third coat to 
be applied one year later." 

Asphaltum is injurious to tin roofing, and it is 
advised never to use any paint on a tin roof that con- 
tains tar, pitch, or bituminous compounds. This* 
point has been tested by the Association of Sheet 
Metal Workers. 

In mixing roofing" paint it is better to use raw lin- 
seed oil than the boiled oil. 

A writer says he knows of nothing better than red 
lead ground in raw, cold-pressed linseed oil, applied 
the day it is mixed, which is a wise precaution, for red 
lead settles in the pot quickly, and should be used dry, 
and be mixed just before beginning the job; if ground 
in oil, as the writer describes it, it would be hard 
and difficult to mix. For this reason red lead is very 
seldom bought ready ground or mixed. He states 
that after painting a roof with the red lead he applied 
iron oxide paint, being persuaded to do so, he adds, 
with the result that the brown paint peeled, and 
even the red lead paint came off in places. Doubtless 
the brown paint failed to hold on the hard surface 
of the red lead paint. I would not advise the red 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 175 



lead priming coat. There can be no advantage gained 
over the use of a simple iron paint. 

Paint with short handled brushes, rubbing the 
paint well in. Do not spread paint out too thin. 
Never use long-handled brushes or mops to apply the 
paint. Paint new tin roofs at once. A good rule 
is to apply the paint before the sun goes down on the 
work. If extra-heavily coated hand-made roofing- 
tin is used, the roof can safely go for several days 
without paint, but it is just as well to apply the paint 
at once. 

A tin roof is often damaged slightly by scratches 
caused by workmen walking upon it. The paint pre- 
vents rust from starting at these points. The paint 
should be applied before the slightest trace of rust ap- 
pears. It is sheer folly to allow a good tin roof to 
stand until it rusts slightly before applying the paint, 
as some ignorant roofers do. No paint will stop 
rust after it has secured a foothold. The roofer who 
allows the roof to rust, even slightly, before he paints 
it, invites trouble, as the rust will continue its action 
under the paint, and destroy the roof. 

The tin should also be painted one coat on the un- 
der side before the sheets are laid on the roof. Some 
good roofers advocate two coats for the best class of 
work. This painting protects the tin from the effects 
of moisture condensing on the under side. 

A new tin roof should be painted as soon as it is 
laid, with one coat of approved paint. Two weeks 
later it should have a second coat, both coats well 
brushed out. Two thin coats are far better than one 
heavy coat. 

One year later the roof should have another coat 
of paint. 



176 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

After that, painting at three or four-year intervals 
should be amply sufficient to repair the natural wear 
and tear of the weather. The interval between paint- 
ings can be lengthened as the roof ages and the paint- 
skin thickens. 

The approved paints are red lead, red oxide, metal % 
lie brown or Venetian red, mixed with pure linseed 
oil. Very little if any drier should be used. 

A very intelligent painter writes to the Scientific 
American that he "knows of nothing better than red 
lead ground in raw cold-pressed linseed oil, applied 
the same day it is mixed." He painted a roof 
eighteen years ago with two coats of red lead, and 
every three or four years since (through persuasion, 
he adds), he has given it a coat of iron-ore paint. 
He says there is "little or no flaking of the red lead," 
but "no end of trouble from the iron-ore paint, which 
in some places peels off from the red lead in large 
patches." He leaves us to infer that there is some 
flaking of the red lead. There should be none at all. 
And that the iron oxide paint came off was due, 
doubtless, to the inability of the iron paint to find a 
"hold" on the smooth, hard surface of the lead. 

To get the best results, about equal weights of 
pigment and oil should be used. We therefore recom- 
mend the proportion of seven and one-half pounds 
dry paint to each gallon of linseed oil. 

The dry pigment should first be put in a suitable 
vessel, the oil poured on top and then left for several 
hours — if possible — before they are stirred up. Stir 
thoroughly until you get a smooth, uniform mixture. 

To thin the paint when it is ground in paste form, 
two and one-half gallons of linseed oil to each 25 
pound can of paste. 

We do not recommend the use of driers except 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 177 



in cold weather, when from five per cent, to ten per 
cent, of the best japan drier may be used, depending 
on conditions. 

The paint should be applied evenly, of medium 
consistency, and well brushed out. Choose a good, 
bright day, if possible, and apply the paint in the 
morning. There will be no need of driers to the color 
if the metallic paint is used. The graphite paints re- 
quire driers, unless it has been added to the paint in 
paste form. 

In mixing preservative coatings for tin roofs the 
matter is seldom given the attention it deserves. 
Any old odds and ends of color, without regard to 
whether it is composed of a lead or zinc base, is often 
considered suitable for painting a tin roof. This is 
a mistake, as any tough or hard-drying pigment will 
scale from a tin roof when the elasticity of the oil 
has departed. This fact may easily be demonstrated 
by tests. Paint strips of the tin with lead or zinc 
paint, and use mineral colors or graphite on the 
other portions, and note the difference in the wear- 
ing qualities. 

Some of the oldest and most expert painters pre- 
fer Venetian red paint for tin roofs. There are at 
least two kinds, one a pure iron oxide, and the other 
of a bright color. The English Venetian red is gen- 
erally supposed to be the best of the class. Red lead 
may answer, but it is costlier than the browns, and 
harder to mix and apply. In the thinning of red lead 
paint some advise linseed oil and turpentine in equal 
parts, while others use two-thirds turpentine. This 
is claimed to form a hard and durable cement. 

Never place tarred paper under tin roofing. It will 
surely corrode the tin. Sheathing paper is all right. 

Whatever kind of paint you may use, see to it that 



178 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

the tin is perfectly dry before painting", and if the 
work can be done in the early fall, in dry weather, 
it will need no driers in the paint, and the work will 
last much longer than when done in warm or hot 
weather. The best work can be done with a round 
paint brush, not with a wide brush fixed to a pole. 
Get down to it, rub the paint in and brush it out 
evenly. Avoid runs along" the seams, as a run or ex- 
cess of oil in any place will eventually cause the paint 
to peel off. Be sure that every part is perfectly 
coated. 

An inexpensive paint may be made for old gutters, 
etc., by the following method: Place all the old paint 
skins, the cleanings from paint pots, bits of dry putty, 
and any old paint on hand, into an iron kettle with 
some raw linseed oil, and boil the mass until all is 
dissolved. Then strain, and add fine dry sand until 
the mixture is about like the average paint con- 
sistency, so that it will spread well under the brush. 
It is best applied hot, or at least warm, and a quite 
heavy coat should be given. It can be used around 
flashings, cnimneys, etc. When dry it has a hard, 
enamel-like surface, and it may be colored to suit 
any surrounding color. If it has been properly pre- 
pared it will be as smooth as glass. 

Tin roofs are known to have stood as many as 
eight years without repainting, after being done with 
brown paint. But it must be remembered that a roof 
may seem to be in good shape as regards the painting", 
and yet not be. Here is where some make a mistake 
and rush into print with it. The roof ought to be 
carefully examined, in various parts of the surface, 
and its true condition noted. 




THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 179 



PAINTING AND BRONZING RADIATORS 

HE radiators for steam and hot water heat- 
ing apparatus require to be lacquered with 
varnishes of special quality, owing to the 
high temperature to which they are ex- 
posed (nearly the boiling point of water). 
Oil paints are unsuitable, being too liable to blister, 
whilst colors turn brown and peel off. The best 
lacquer is a good asphalt varnish, which, when baked, 
will keep its gloss and last a long time; but black is 
not a favorite for this purpose. The same material 
can, however, be used in the preparation of red- 
brown, dark brown, and gray shades, by adding 
Venetian red and lithophone respectively to the as- 
phalt varnish. 

To obtain a durable coating of all paint topped 
with varnish, the former must be well thinned with 
turps, so that it dries matt, another coating then be- 
ing given and varnished with special varnish. Some 
commercial varnishes sold for this purpose soften 
under the influence of heat, and in a very short time 
become brittle and rub off under the finger. The var- 
nishes should be made of copal, inferior grades be- 
ing prepared from hardened resin or colophony, and 
should be thinned in order that they may harden 
quickly and not turn brown. Thicker varnish can 
only be used when a baking oven is employed, the 
coating then being very durable, and of good ap- 
pearance. 

Painting Radiator White. — It is difficult to get 
a white job that will remain white, for the paint will 



180 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



be more or less affected. It is found best to use what 
is called a white varnish, or very light copal made of 
hard gum to withstand the heat. Make the prepara- 
tory coats white and flat, sandpaper smooth, or at 
least rub off any roughness you can, then apply the 
white enamel varnish. Use red seal French zinc 
white with turpentine for the flat coats, and then 
two coats of white copal varnish. Lithopone is said 
to do well on white radiators. 

The factory formula as given by Scott, is as fol- 
lows: 

Common zinc oxide 22 lbs. 

Barytes 10 lbs. 

Pulverized soapstone 3 lbs. 

Grind in 

Japan gold size \ gal. 

Turpentine \ gal. 

Carbon tetrachloride \ gal. 

This paint dries very flat, and is not much discol- 
ored by heat. If preferred it may be ground in the 
celluloid mixture, in which case there will be no dis- 
coloration whatever. This solution is made as fol- 
lows: 

Four ounces soluble gun-cotton, dissolve in 32 fluid 
ounces amyl acetate. Let stand ten hours, then add 
32 fluid ounces amyl acetate. Finally add the follow- 
ing solution : 1 ounce gum camphor, dissolved in 
8 fluid ounces acetone. 

This solution must be thinned with amyl acetate, 
when thinning is necessary, as benzine or turpentine 
will cause the gun-cotton to precipitate its original 
cotton. Try to get in touch with a dealer who han- 
dles such paint as radiator white. 

Oil paint will not answer for radiators. Use in- 
stead a color ground in japan, thin with good bak- 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 181 

ing varnish, and do not make the paint too heavy or 
thick. 

Painting Radiators. — Clean all greasy spots 
with benzine. When the iron is clean take any good 
bronzing liquid and stir enough aluminum into it to 
make a paint that can be easily spread with a camel's 
hair brush. Apply one or more coats, as the case may 
require. If you prefer to make your own bronzing 
liquid take equal parts of gold size japan and light- 
colored baking varnish and mix them well. To each 
liquid ounce of this mixture add three liquid ounces 
of turps. Shake well in a bottle and it is ready for 
use. If the aluminum paint doesn't give you sufficient 
lustre, apply a coat of baking varnish to your radia- 
tors, and when it gets tacky dust the dry bronze on 
with a camel's hair brush or tuft of cotton, spreading 
a large sheet of paper on the floor under the radiator 
to catch the surplus bronze, which can be used again. 

Black Radiator Varnish. — (i) Prime Syrian 
asphaltum or Gilsonite, 10 parts, are heated over a 
moderate fire with 2 parts of linseed varnish until 
uniformly fluid, and the mixture is thinned down to 
the consistency of varnish with turps when cool. 
(2) Asphaltum, 6 parts; Lignite asphaltum, 4 parts; 
and linseed varnish, 2 parts are melted together, and 
thinned down, when cold, with turps and benzol or 
heavy benzine. 

Bronzing Steam Pipes and Radiators. — For 
gold bronze powder paint the pipes with medium 
chrome yellow, and when this has become nearly dry 
rub on the gold bronze, using a piece of fur or a 
brush. When perfectly dry apply a coat of thin 
copal or mastic varnish. 



182 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

Oxidizing a Radiator. — Paint the radiator a dull 
yellow, and when dry lightly sandpaper smooth, then 
apply a thin coat of color, a mere glaze, and of what- 
ever color you may fancy, and rub out to simulate the 
oxidizing. 

Painting the Logs of Gas Radiators in Imita- 
tion of Wood. — These logs are usually bronzed with 
copper bronze or green bronze, and then blended in 
with colors, so as to imitate the bark of certain trees. 
To give certain effects, such as the bark of birch or 
maple shows, asbestos fiber is attached in certain 
spots. 

The colors used, or rather, the pigments employed, 
must be resistent to heat, as, for instance, umber, raw 
or burnt. Indian red, mineral brown, oxide of 
chromium green or copper green. The paint must 
be made with a medium or binder of silicate of soda, 
because there is no medium containing oil or gums 
will be able to stand such degrees of temperature as 
are required here. 

Bronzing Solution. — Reduce a good varnish 
with turpentine to the condition of a bronzing size, 
being careful not to get it too thin, coat the surface 
with this and dust aluminum bronze on ; this is the 
best way. To mix the bronze with the size, to be 
painted on, use equal parts of varnish and thinners. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 183 




PAINTING STRUCTURAL IRON 

OR years the practice of giving structural 
steel one coat of protective paint before it 
left the shop held universal sway. Of late, 
however, the custom has been questioned, 
many architects and engineers having the 
steel delivered unpainted. The new idea has much 
to recommend it— two considerations, especially. 
The first is that a certain amount of weathering is 
desirable to get rid of mill scale. The other is that 
shop coats are generally poorly done by cheap labor 
and really do more harm than good, because they 
cover up the evidence of poor work in the matter ot 
cleaning the metal. In case there is no shop coat, 
the first painting should be done just before assem- 
bling begins. 

Painting on Iron. — Whatever may be said re- 
specting the application of paint to the surface of 
iron, certain it is that once rusting begins, nothing in 
the way of paint will arrest disintegration of the 
iron thus begun, or prove durable upon such a sur- 
face. Attention has been called to the fact that the 
marks made by iron workers upon structural iron, 
to designate the dimensions of the pieces, and which 
is usually thought to be made with a lead and oil, 
or turpentine paint, never reveal rust beneath them, 
after the entire surface has been subsequently painted, 
though rust has been found under all the coating but 
those of the aforesaid marks. The car painter at- 
tributes this to the fact that the marks were made 



184 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

while the iron was hot, or at least warm. Of course, 
we know that this is not so. The marking is done 
while the iron is cool, at least usually so. There is 
no doubt that much of the preservation from rust is 
due to painting the marks soon after the iron is 
made, and before rust has begun. Iron that is in- 
tended for outside exposure, at least, ought to be 
coated with paint as scon as possible after leaving the 
hands of the iron workers. 

Painting Iron Bridges for Railroads. — All the 
iron ore paints contain phosphorus and sulphur, un- 
less the ore has been burned to eliminate those prop- 
erties ; and either sulphur or phosphorus is inimical 
to iron. Asphaltum paints are usually well supplied 
with benzine or some other volatile product, which 
soon evaporates after it has been spread upon the 
iron, and leaves a rough surface upon which soot 
and sulphur from the burning coal in the locomotives 
accumulate, and with setting of fog and dew upon 
the iron, produces an acid which, by contact with 
the iron, causes oxidation on the surface of the metal, 
which causes serious injury to the structure, and 
very soon requires a thorough cleaning and repaint- 
ing. Many of the cheaper paints are of a thick, 
syrupy nature, and require a large mixture of naph- 
tha, benzine or turpentine to make them spread read- 
ily. These paints are of short duration, and require 
such frequent renewals that they become expensive. 

I think, on the whole, that pure linseed oil and 
lead, properly put on, and colored so as not to draw 
or absorb from the sun's rays, make the most lasting 
paint, and give the best protection to the iron. In 
my judgment, all iron in bridges should be coated 
with boiled linseed oil. In warm weather this can 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 185 

readily be put on so as to cover the inequalities of 
surface ; and when two or more places are to be riv- 
eted together, each surface should receive a coat of 
paint carefully applied in the shops where the work 
is being done. Then, when the structure is erected, 
it should receive two coats of lead and oil paint of 
some light gray or stone color. And before paint- 
ing, all places where rust has taken place should be 
thoroughly cleaned before painting. Experience 
shows that bridges cared for in this manner have 
given better results and are really more economical 
in time than those painted with other than lead and oil 
paints. — G. M. Rett. 

Painting Structural Iron Work. — The surface 
must be vigorously cleaned, and should be painted 
while rust free and while it is warmer than the sur- 
rounding air — to prevent, so far as possible, a layer 
of moisture between the paint films and the steel. No 
paint put on over rust will prevent further rust, be- 
cause rust is an accelerator of corrosion, and always 
contains water. Then we need a thick film because in 
general terms the measure of protection afforded by 
a paint is proportional to its thickness, always grant- 
ing that the film is hard, elastic and adhesive. There 
should be a greater effort to brush out the paint on 
metal than obtains in the case of wood, brick or 
plaster, because the pores of the metal are so much 
smaller that thorough application is needed to make 
paint stick. 

The paint film should be thick, also, because it 
should be impervious to moisture, and the more pig- 
ment a paint film contains the more waterproof it 
is apt to be. It is a curious thing that linseed oil 
alone applied to steel affords almost no protection 
from rusting. It forms too thin a film, and one that 



186 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



is porous; yet linseed oil mixed with red lead forms 
an almost ideal protective coat ; one that is hard, yet 
elastic, thick, and very adhesive, for the pigment fills 
up the pores that exist in the linseed oil film. It is 
possible to mix as much as 33 pounds of dry red 
lead to a gallon of oil and still get good working 
qualities, and a paint that contains the maximum 
amount of pigment. Red lead is an inhibitor of rust, 
a preventive, and combined with linseed oil it forms 
the hardest elastic paint film we know of; water will 
not penetrate it; in fact, the marine underwriters for- 
merly demanded an extra premium for policies writ- 
ten to cover steel ships whose hulls were not so 
painted below the water line. All the ships of our 
navy are so protected, as well as those of foreign 
powers. The huge steel members of the locks on 
the Panama Canal are likewise so protected. In fact, 
practically all structural steel is protected with red 
lead, both that belonging to the government and 
that erected by corporations or private individuals. 
Engineers and chemists agree that all steel struc- 
tures should have at least two coats of red lead and 
linseed oil, followed by one or more finishing coats 
for decorative purposes. These coats should all be 
of a different shade so that the inspector can readily 
detect faulty work. No paint will protect steel un- 
less it is honestly applied, and a little lampblack 
added to the red lead after the first coat will pro- 
duce the necessary variations in the shade, as well as 
aid in securing a uniform thickness of film, and 
consequently uniformity of expansion and construc- 
tion. 

There are some rules that might well be observed 
in connection with the surface on which the protec- 
tive paint is to be applied : 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 187 



( i ) The surface should be perfectly clean and 
free from moisture, greasy matter, rust and mill 
scale. No pains should be spared to insure a per- 
fectly clean, dry, metallic surface. 

(2) All minute holes, cracks, fissures between 
plates, poles and the like, should be filled with a 
suitable "filling" or "stopping" before painting is 
proceeded with. The condition of "metal-to-metal" 
is particularly objectionable, as local galvanic action 
is thereby excited, and this excites corrosion. A 
protective paint film to be effective must be con- 
tinuous for the whole surface, and this result can- 
not be secured unless the said surface is made per- 
fectly solid and continuous. 

But paint will not prevent iron rust. The iron 
will rust beneath it, because the oxygen of the air 
will gain access to it sooner or later, and this, of 
course, causes oxidation of the iron. It seems, in- 
deed, durable and useful as it is, that the purpose 
of iron, considered in itself, is to decay. Rust will 
continue even under paint, until the entire structure 
has become a mass of rust. Treated chemically or 
otherwise when being made, a surface can, possibly, 
be made that will prevent oxidation. Indeed, there 
is a non-rusting iron, I believe, but it is not practical 
for general use. White lead, which is carbonate of 
lead, and at one stage of its manufacture an oxide, 
is one of the very worst pigments to apply to iron. 
Zinc oxide also is bad, and will eat into iron. The 
marking compound used at the iron mills is not 
white lead, but a very cheap mixture composed 
mainly of whiting or barytes and oil, driers and 
benzine. There is no lead in it, lead being too costly. 
As to what constitutes the best paint for coating 



188 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

iron, red lead is, according to the best testimony at 
hand, superior to anything else. 

Metal Ceilings 

Painting Metal Ceiling. — The manufacturers 
of metal ceilings that are to have the glazed effect, 
after stamping the sheets, dip these in a thin liquid, 
composed of varnish and naphtha, to which has been 
added some zinc white, but not enough to make the 
coating opaque ; on the contrary somewhat translu- 
cent. When the metal is in place, the painter gives 
one or more coats of similar nature, tinted to meet 
requirements. 

The first coat should be either raw or boiled lin- 
seed oil ; if the former is used, then add a little 
litharge to help its drying. Don't add any pigment 
to the primer for a steel ceiling; white lead will 
cause the steel to rust. After this has been primed 
you may apply any sort of good paint. 

Metal ceilings should be washed with sal soda 
water or benzine, to remove the grease, before paint- 
ing. 

A painter, writing to the Carter Times on this 
subject, says : 

"Metal or steel ceilings for store rooms have be- 
come universally popular, and many of our painters 
in the smaller towns are not painting and decorating 
them to the best advantage. In order to get the 
best effect and properly distribute the light over the 
room, you should not use a gloss paint. Gloss paint 
becomes dirty and looks worn just as quickly as a 
paint that is flat or without gloss. 

"One of our best decorators uses the following 
method, which can always be relied upon : Dust all 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 189 

the dirt and clean grease spots from the metal ; mix 
your first coat of white lead, half raw linseed oil 
and half turpentine; tint the same to the color you 
desire to finish with. When dry, coat over with a 
mixture of white lead thinned to the desired con- 
sistency with pure turpentine, tinted the same as first 
coat. The effect of this last coat can be improved 
upon by stippling it as you proceed with coating. 
The decorative work may be varied according to the 
price you get and the taste of the painter who does 
the work. 

"Nothing looks so unprofessional to the trained 
eye as a fine designed metal ceiling 'smeared' over 
with a cheap 'ready-mixed' or gloss paint. Do not 
do cheap work on this class of painting, as it will 
add absolutely nothing to your credit, nor will it 
make you any profit. 

"The flat effect does not show the defects as does 
the gloss finish. Do not spoil a steel ceiling with 
gloss paint." 

Repainting. — 'When it becomes necessary to re- 
paint an iron or steel structure the paint should never 
be applied in wet or freezing weather. The surface 
should be freed absolutely from all scale, rust, dirt, 
etc. It is not at all sufficient to merely apply a 
fresh coat of paint over an old paint surface under 
which traces of corrosion appear. Of course the 
new paint will cover up the old surface and often 
may adhere firmly to it, but corrosion goes on under- 
neath the paint just the same. This proves that 
freeing from rust and corrosion and perfect clean- 
ing are positively necessary. When, for some reason, 
it is not possible for the entire structure to receive 
a coat of some inhibitive primer, the parts cleaned 



190 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

and freed from rust and all exposed surfaces, at 
least, should be touched up with either a lead or 
oxide primer before the finishing coat is given. 

The use of turpentine in the paint applied over the 
old surface is advised, as turpentine is a penetrant, 
taking care of the penetration and adhesion between 
the old paint film and the new coat applied. 




THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 191 



PAINTING GALVANIZED IRON 

GNORANCE of the proper way to paint 
on new galvanized iron sheeting or other 
galvanized objects results in considerable 
trouble and expense, and yet it is easily 
avoided. If the metal is allowed to stand 
to the weather for several months, preferably a year, 
the surface will be in a condition to take paint and 
hold it. But if the paint is applied as soon as the 
metal is in position, or if done within a few weeks of 
that time, the paint will in time scale off in small 
flakes. Then the trouble is to correct the evil. It 
may be scraped off with wire brushes, but should 
not be repainted until every particle of the original 
paint has come off, for otherwise it would scale be- 
neath the new paint, and thus take all off. The bet- 
ter way is to treat the new galvanizing with this 
wash, which has been in use for many years, and 
with the surest results. 

Take two ounces each of copper chloride, copper 
nitrate and sal ammoniac, dissolving the same in one 
gallon of soft water, then add two ounces of muri- 
atic acid. This mixture must be made in a glass or 
earthen vessel. With a broad bristle brush apply a 
coat of this to the galvanized iron and let it stand 
until perfectly dry, when it will be ready for paint. 
At first the color of the coating is black, but this 
soon changes to gray. Upon this coating- paint or 
varnish will adhere perfectly, and ihere will be no 
scaling. A gallon of this coating will cover about 
25 or 30 squares of 100 feet each. It is inexpensive 
and easily made and applied. The ingredients may 



192 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



be bought from any large dealer in drugs and chem- 
icals. 

Six ounces of copper acetate, (which is simply 
copper soaked in acid), to the gallon of water does- 
the work equally well, depositing on the surface an 
adherent coating of black copper oxide, to which 
paint will readily adhere. As this salt of copper, con- 
taining a weak vegetable acid only, is so easily pre- 
pared, it is preferable to the chloride or sulphate, 
which contain strong mineral acids. The Govern- 
ment specifies the use of strong vinegar alone, and 
some painters advise a wash with strong ammonia 
water, allowing it to dry on and painting over it. 

The railroad companies paint acres of galvanized 
iron surfaces every year, and usually succeed in mak- 
ing the paint stay on. A favorite method with some 
of the railroad painters is to wash the iron with 
benzine to free it from grease, then give it a coat 
of coach finishing varnish. Afterward the iron is 
painted with any good paint, but some foremen pre- 
per to add about a pint of good finishing varnish 
to each gallon of paint. This paint is applied to the 
varnished iron. 

An old and successful master painter says that he 
simply washes the grease from the galvanized iron 
with benzine, and then gives it a thin coat (well 
brushed out) of mineral paint thinned with pure 
boiled linseed oil, and he says he has never known 
the paint to scale. 

The master painter of a ferryboat and railroad 
company, in an article on this subject before a 
painters' convention, said : "I have tried vinegar, 
sulphuric acid, ammonia, muriatic acid, and a mix- 
ture of acids and chemical salts, as advised by trade 
journals, and the results from these washes have 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 193 



been fair, but not uniform. There was as much 
peeling of the paint over these treatments as with- 
out them. I was careful, but never have been able 
to prevent the peeling. I found that galvanizing the 
iron was not a galvanic process. In fact, galvanized 
iron is made about the same way as tin, by dipping 
in a bath of molten metal. To prevent the contact 
of air with the molten zinc, ammonia is poured on 
top of it, and the ammonia clings to the sheet, and 
hence must affect the paint. Also the sheet is dip- 
ped in oil, to allow the draining off of any excess 
of zinc. This oil is non-drying and retards the dry- 
ing of paint. It is well known that galvanized iron 
(steel always, never iron) is more rust-proof than 
tin, in the beginning, but it is nearly always less 
durable than tin after rust has started on it. This 
is due to the galvanic action between the steel and 
zinc, once the coating becomes broken." 

A master car painter says: "I did a job of paint- 
ing on galvanized iron twenty-five years ago, prim- 
ing with French ochre, and following with two coats 
of best English white lead, sandpapered, and the 
paint is still intact." 

As some galvanized iron is very thinly coated, it 
is best to paint it at once, before rust begins, which 
will occur if it is left to the weather very long, par- 
ticularly where there is much coal smoke in the air. 
Such a roof should be painted at least within a year. 

George Whigelt writes as follows : "To the 
painter who does not care to bother with acids or 
minerals when about painting galvanized iron, I 
would suggest the following method : Mix equal 
parts of spar varnish and turpentine, and apply. It 
would be best to sponge off the surface with white 
wine vinegar ; this is a sure thing, as I have found 



194 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



out by experience. After the varnish size, any desired 
paint may be applied, though the first coat over the 
varnish had better be mixed rather flat." 

It is stated by some writers on technical subjects 
that the scaling of paint from galvanized iron is 
due to electricity, and that the white powder found 
beneath the paint on galvanized iron is simply zinc 
oxide, caused by electricity. This may or may not 
be true, but just here an incident that occurred in 
our experience will possibly in a measure either 
prove or disprove the electric theory. In painting 
the galvanized iron hoods on certain cars, it was 
found to be very difficult to prevent the paint from 
scaling, and later in order to counteract the effect 
of cinders, the hoods were painted with thick paint 
and sanded, which had the effect of preventing fur- 
ther scaling. Just what part the sand played in the 
matter is not altogether clear, unless it afforded a 
means of escape for the electricity, as it is apparent 
that the damage to paint caused by electricity is 
due to the fact that it has no means of escape. 

Various reasons have been given for the peculiar 
action of paint upon galvanized iron. One of the 
most plausible is that the use of sal ammoniac in the 
process of galvanizing causes the formation of a 
thin film of the basic chloride of zinc on the surface 
of the metal being galvanized, which material, being 
a hygroscopic nature, acts as a repellant to prevent 
the close adherence of the paint to the metal, and 
the pigment dries as a skin over it. 

Under no circumstances should a white lead or 
zinc paint be applied to a bare galvanized iron sur- 
face. Satisfactory results cannot be expected from 
their use. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 195 

A few years ago architects usually specified that 
galvanized iron should have three coats of paint, the 
second and third coats to be sanded. This was un- 
doubtedly too much paint, and it caused scaling!. 
The fewer the coats the better, and each coat should 
be thin and well rubbed out. 

Care should be exercised in never applying more 
paint to a galvanized iron surface than is necessary 
to hide and protect the surface. The primer is a 
surface coating only and will in time break away 
if repeated coats of oil are applied over it. This is 
caused by the natural pull or tension of elastic coats 
under contraction and expansion. 

Colors for Galvanized Iron Roofs. — In refer- 
ence to paint for galvanized iron roofs. Though 
white roofs are objectionable in appearance, they 
are cool. Green and red may be more pleasing; they 
cannot be as cool as white. It is a question whether 
comfort is to be sacrificed for appearance. Refrig- 
erating paints are sometimes supplied in tints of 
green and terra cotta, which are claimed to possess 
all the merits of white refrigerating paint. In some 
parts graphite paint is used for galvanized iron 
roofs ; in other localities red oxide is used. Both 
are considered good rust resisters. The chief aim, 
however, of good roof paints, is to lessen the tem- 
perature. It is questionable whether any dark color 
is as successful for this purpose as white. It is gen- 
erally known that white reflects both light and heat, 
while dark colors absorb these, which explains why 
white is more effective as a cooling medium than 
dark colors. 

On galvanized iron the best adhering paints were 
found to be red lead, -burnt umber and sienna, Indian 



196 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



red, Prussian blue, lampblack and graphite, while 
the poorest adhesives were zinc oxide, lithopone, 
clay, silica, etc. 

Repainting Galvanized Iron. — To repaint gal- 
vanized iron, note the character of the primer first 
applied; if well bound to the surface, clean thor- 
oughly, and if to be painted a similar or darker color, 
apply but one coat. This should carry sufficient tur- 
pentine to penetrate into and bind well to the old 
coating. It should be well brushed and not heavily 
applied. 

If two coats are necessary, the first coat should 
be mixed half flat and the finishing coat should 
carry a small amount of turpentine. Full oil reduc- 
tions should never be used on a galvanized iron sur- 
face, as such will cause blistering under extreme 
heat. 

If the surface is checked or cracked, go over it 
with a stiff wire brush and scraper, removing any 
loose particles of paint and thoroughly cleaning the 
surface. Touch up any bare spots with red lead 
paint. This will even up the surface, and it can 
then be finished with one coat of paint, which should 
not be mixed too elastic. 

If the paint is peeling or is not properly bound to 
the surface, scrape thoroughly and clean with a wire 
brush to the bare iron then rough up the surface 
and proceed as for new work. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 197 




EXTERIOR COLOR SCHEMES 

Y harmony is meant that perfect agreement 
of the colors, tints, hues or shades em 
ployed that will produce on the vision the 
feeling of perfect accord, no one color ap- 
pearing more prominent than another, but 
all seeming a whole, like a well painted landscape, or, 
a still better comparison, the natural landscape, for we 
all must go to Nature for color harmonies. Some are 
said to possess a natural taste for coloring, an eye for 
color, as the saying is, but almost without exception 
any person will recognize the effects of good and bad 
color combinations. It does not require an expert 
colorist to do this. I have often been struck by the 
judgment of even little children in the matter of color 
appreciation, when painting, and considered their 
criticisms valuable, they being sincere, which is not tc 
be looked for from most adults, and usually quite cor- 
rect. 

But color harmony is not mere personal taste or 
appreciation, it is a law, and because it is a law is why 
its perfect demonstration satisfies the normal mind. 
The green carpeting of the earth satisfies the mind, 
the coloring of the skies and waters and woods all 
pleases, rests and satisfies, because it is all according 
to laws of nature. Yet in house painting, while acting 
in accordance with color law, we have what we call 
rules of color, and these rules, rather than the more 
complex laws of color as the scientist knows them, are 
what we shall have in mind when treating the subject 
of color harmony and color combinations. We may 



198 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



say that each house demands a special color treatment, 
this being a rule. The safe colors for a house are red, 
white, gray, yellow and brown. Yellow or gray suits 
many a plain, pitched-roofed or square Colonial 
house. Grays and browns are good for ugly, nonde- 
script ones, the grays always being pleasanter on the 
yellow shades than on cold blue tones. White sug- 
gests the formal type again. White is a very good 
color for a country house, showing it up from a dis- 
tance in fascinating glimpses, for it needs trees about 
it, and flowers to sparkle against its walls. Such a 
house will be attractive when the leaves are gone from 
the trees, for the bare boughs will serve to soften the 
effect. 

A low-built, squatty house demands light and cheer- 
ful colors. Dark colors only emphasize its squatti- 
ness, while light colors have the optical effect of rais- 
ing it higher. 

Few greens are suitable for exterior walls of houses 
though an artist suggests terra verte and white, with a 
little yellow, as a good one for the purpose. However, 
slatey greens are good. Black, raw sienna and a 
touch of lake also are suggested. Certainly green- 
should never be used where the house sits amidst much 
shrubbery and trees. In this case the house needs col- 
ors that will agreeably contrast and harmonize with 
the green growing things. 

A Colonial style of house should never be painted in 
dark colors, such as brown, red, or other pronounced 
dark colors. Pure white, trim and all, will most al- 
ways suit the case. In some other styles of houses 
white is good, and in some cases a dark bottle-green 
trim sets off the white to good advantage. An old 
frame or stone house looks well with white walls and 
green blinds, while almost any shade of trim will be 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 199 



allowable. A stone farm house colored a very pale 
yellow, with white trim and medium green blinds, 
doors white or oak grained, makes a good effect. Or 
the walls may be a brownish-gray, and white trim, 
with a deeper brownish-gray for the blinds, or a dark 
green. 

It may be laid down as a rule that a white body will 
admit of almost any shade of trimming. Say pea- 
green, gray, light yellow, or a very light brown trim- 
ming. A house painted in this way always presents a 
near, tidy perspective, while the architectural beauty 
is enhanced. 

But if white has been used repeatedly, and the 
owner desires a little color change, a very agreeable 
one may be made by making the body of the house a 
warm drab, or gray stone, medium drab, light bronze, 
or ivory white, with white or colored trim. 

Never follow color fads or fashions ; be led only by 
good taste and simplicity, these being based on the 
laws of color harmony, and never change. A color 
scheme that is simple and fits the architecture and sur- 
roundings will generally be found pleasing and success- 
ful. What is desired is to make the painted house ap- 
pear to fit into the place where it stands, and in order 
to effect this we must observe absolute harmony in the 
color scheme. We must take into account such matters 
as style of architecture, the presence or absence of trees 
and shrubbery, distance between houses on either side, 
and the color schemes used on neighboring houses. 

Some houses, on account of their peculiar style of 
architecture, should be painted white, trim and bodv. 
but as a general proposition a building done entirely in 
white does not show up the structure to the best ad- 
vantage. As a rule the white house would look best 
when trimmed with some color, such as bottle-green, 



200 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

slate, medium drab, a drab produced with black and 
yellow ochre, a nice gray, etc. When thus trimmed 
the white house will show up ever so much whiter, 
and always the white should be white and nothing else. 
Some white leads are far from giving a white paint. 
Test different brands of white lead and see for your- 
self. The addition of zinc white as a finish makes a 
still better white, one that is not affected by sulphur, 
etc. But most too brittle alone, of which see more 
under another heading. However, where there is no 
soft coal smoke and little hard coal gases or other air 
impurities, a good really white white lead will make a 
very white job, because the sun and air will bleach 
out its oil and make it whiter still. 

Success in using dark green for trim, says an au- 
thority, with the body white, depends on getting 
enough of the green on ; that is, use the green on all of 
the trim, under the eaves, on the window sash, corner 
and baseboards, porch rail and floors, blinds, and on 
the foundation if possible. 

It is useless to paint buildings white in places subject 
to factory smoke, dust and dirt, and the same may be 
said as regards all light colors or delicate tints or 
shades. But a French gray or a pearl gray will be al- 
lowable and will give quite durable colors under the 
circumstances. A light slate body with light gray 
trim and black sash, roof olive color, makes a fine color 
scheme. Another fine scheme may be had by making 
the body a medium drab, trim ivory white, and sash 
maroon. These are for city houses. Still another 
calls for Bedford stone body color, ivory white trim, 
and chocolate brown sash. 

After determining the different points of location, 
surroundings, etc., as outlined above, you may find 
some one of the following dozen of color combina- 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 201 

tions available. The colors named herein refer to 

body, trim and sash, in due order : 

No. i — Pearl gray, pure white, maroon. 

No. 2 — Cream, light brown, dark bottle green. 

No. 3 — Ivory white, pure white, maroon. 

No. 4 — Pure white, dark bottle green, black. 

No. 5 — Medium drab, ivory white, maroon. 

No. 6 — Chocolate brown, pure white, white. 

No. 7 — French gray, pure white, maroon. 

No. 8 — Colonial yellow, pure white, white. 

No. 9 — Bronze gray, pure white, maroon. 

No. io — Fawn, pure white, maroon. 

No. ii — Bedford stone, ivory white, chocolate brown. 

No. 12 — Slate, pure white, maroon. 

Here is another table of harmonizing colors for 

house exteriors : 

Colonial or Formal — 'Body white, yellow or gray; 
trim, white; roof, natural wood shingles or slates; 
blinds, moss green, bronze green or green. 

Picturesque or Irregular — Body, red; trim, red with 
white sash ; roof, natural shingles ; blinds, very dark 
green. Or, body brown ; trim, creamy white ; roof, 
moss green, and blinds medium green. 

Mansard Roof — Body, yellowish gray ; trim the same ; 
roof, usually slate ; blinds, green. 

Small Cottages — Body, red ; trim, if not much of it, 
white; shingles, natural. Never use red if slate 
roof is blue. Blinds, dark green. 

Upper and Lower Story is Different — Body, red be- 
low, gray above ; trim in either case to be self-color- 
ed and sash white ; roof natural shingles, and blinds 
dark green. 

Cement and Stucco — Body, white, yellow or gray ; 
trim, brown stain, for white and yellow, and white 
for gray; roof, in all three cases, red; blinds, for 
first two cases, for gray body. use a pale blue-green. 



202 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

In suburban places it is well to select colors that will 
not duplicate others near by, no matter how beautiful 
and correct those may be, but select colors that will 
harmonize with surrounding - color schemes, seeing 
that contrast of colors make a more interesting display 
under the circumstances. 

Summer cottages are usually built for pleasure or 
pastime, or at best are temporary houses, hence should 
be given a light and bright coloring. The more solid 
and sober city house demands an opposite treatment, 
and if decked out in the coloring that would become 
the summer or suburban cottage would look quite 
ridiculous. 

If more than one color is to go on the side of a 
house, see that the heavier or darker color is not placed 
above the lighter one. Dark coloring conveys the 
idea of weight and solidity or strength, and should not 
be held up by light colors, which have the aspect of 
being weak. This color rule holds good also in in- 
terior work, as will be mentioned in its proper place. 

In brick and stone buildings the window frames 
should be painted the. color of the capstones and win- 
dow sills. For instance, a brick house, ornamented 
with limestone copings, should have the frames 
painted a light graystone color, with the sash black or 
dark green. 

A city house on a small lot, near the street, should 
be painted a quiet color, with dark trim. 

Quiet colors, pure white in particular, are growing 
more and more in the popular esteem. 

In painting business or factory buildings, where 
there are heavy members carrying heavy loads, these 
should be done in the darkest colors used in the scheme, 
while those with the lightest loads to carry should be 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 203 

done in the lightest colors used, so as to appear more 
slender. 

A light, airy structure will look stronger if a dark 
paint be used, unless the background is dark, when a 
light colored paint affords relief. With a small 
structure, in a large or deep landscape, more atten- 
tion should be paid to the matter of contrast. 

A good color scheme for the exterior of a handsome 
private stable is as follows : Paint the weather-boarding 
a dark drab, the stall blinds a dark drab, rain conduct- 
ors a dark green, doors green with drab panels, sashes 
Indian or tuscan red. If there are shingles on the 
sides, oil them, and the same if the sides are brick. 
Roof shingles dip and brush-coat red. Interior wood- 
work finish natural. 

Here are a few practical color suggestions from a 
prominent architect : 

A good combination shows a rich olive body with 
white trim. Roof moss-green. Side gable deep buff. 
Sash- a greenish-black, and door deep green. Make 
the porch floor a green between the door and body 
color. The foundation a sandstone tint, and the chim- 
neys a cream. 

A low-posted cottage would be very attractive with 
the body white and the trim the same, the porch floor 
a mossy-green, or a burnt sienna, the roof stained olive 
green, with chimneys and foundation red. A good 
alternative scheme would be a copper-red roof and 
white body, giving a crisp and attractive effect. 

A very attractive little house may be made by laying 
the lower story in chocolate color, and by painting the 
upper a lighter chocolate to harmonize with the brick : 
the trim should be white, the sash deep maroon, and 
porch floors and steps painted very deep and dull yel- 
low. With the roofs stained brown, and the brick 



204 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



chimneys to match the lower story, the result would be 
most, pleasing. 

A rather deep lemon yellow is suggested for the 
body of a simple house, white for the trim, a soft, 
harmonizing green for the gables, the sash in black, 
the roof moss-green, and the foundations and chim- 
neys of red. This color scheme makes a good back- 
ground for shade trees and shrubbery. 

A house made for two families and the lot small, 
requires a color scheme that will tend to make the 
building recede rather than stand out. A square form 
would suggest a modest color effect. A deep seal 
brown throughout, black sash, warm green roof, and 
red chimneys, porch floors and steps a very dull buff, 
ceiling of porch cream, will complete a very good color 
effect for this case. 

An attractive color scheme shows a green shingled 
effect with white trim throughout, but in case siding 
must be used, lay the chimneys in cream brick. Stain 
the roof golden brown, paint gables and body tan, 
bordering on the chocolate, make the sash a deep 
brown, trim with a good white, paint the porch floors 
with Vandyke brown, medium shade, while the brick 
foundation should be painted to match the body. 

The location of a square house should almost of ne- 
cessity be known, in order to wisely plan its color 
scheme, for its form is so easily accentuated to the 
detriment of the design, whereas, it might be as easily, 
with a little thought, subdued and improved upon. 
Assuming that the house occupies an ordinary level 
city lot, we will paint the lower story and trim a very 
deep, dark green ; the upper story a deep, dull pumpkin 
shade, and the roof a moss-green. The chimneys and 
all the brick work should be red, and the sash painted 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 205 



greenish-black, while the porch floor should be olive 
green, and the ceiling cream color. 

Here are some further color combinations that will 
prove useful suggestions. The first color is for main 
body of the work, and the second color for trim. Sash, 
porch floors, roofs, etc., are not included in this table, 
which merely gives some suitable two-color combi- 
nations : 

Warm gray and yellow sandstone. 

Warm gray and pale sienna yellow. 

Cool gray and orange sandstone. 

Pale cool gray and yellowish white. 

Yellowish gray and red sandstone. 

Mansfield stone and slate gray-green. 

Reddish gray and terra vert green. 

Reddish gray and toned yellowish white. 

Grayish red and green slate. 

Grayish red and pale sandy yellow. 

Yellowish stone and reddish gray. 

Warm sandy stone and white. 

Pale terra-cotta red and deep terra vert green. 

Two tones of any one color, but for grays the 
deeper to be the general wall color, and for warm 
tones the reverse. 



Painting Store Fronts 

This matter was thought of sufficient importance by 
the Canadian Hardware Association as to justify its 
discussion at one of their annual conventions, and the 
conclusion they came to was, the black, or aluminum 
and natural finish or cherry, with the interior of the 
place cherry, or outside white and inside a dull red, 
was best, thus agreeing that the inside must be taken 
into consideration when determining the outside color- 



206 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



ing. Some thought with cherry or bottle green outside, 
a natural finish would look best inside. White enamel 
for outside was also considered good. Indeed, a white 
outside with a dull red inside was very well thought of. 
There are many suitable colors for shop fronts. As 
a rule they should be strong, decided tones, either very 
light, such as white, ivory white, cream, or biscuit 
colors, or very dark, such as bronze green, or other 
dark green tones. Deep Brunswick green supplies a 
good color, or shades of green made with Brunswick 
green and Prussian blue used alone or lightened with 
white. Dark peacock blue is a pleasing color. Weak 
tints or common shades should be avoided. Dark reds 
and leather colors supply a useful range. Common 
shades of green and red, all right in themselves, have 
become too much hackneyed for pleasing results. The 
painter should evolve shades which are out of the 
beaten track. Pure red makes a striking color, but it 
is not one which harmonizes well with display windows 
unless carefully managed. A little pure red, such as 
vermillion, introduced, say, round the window sash, is 
effective, with darker reds or warm toned colors. 
Aluminum powder may also be applied with good 
effect. Sometimes a shop front is the better for being 
treated simply and broadly, but if elaborate color 
treatment is desired, we know of nothing better than a 
scheme of contrasting shades, such as shades of choco- 
late. Quaker green and cinnamon, with lettering in 
gold, or cream, outlined. As to whether light or dark 
shades are most permanent : Light colors, as a rule, 
are. White and cream last well. All dark colors 
should be used flat and varnished. The aim at all 
times is to produce not only a striking front, but one 
which will harmonize with the goods displayed. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 207 

A prominent decorator says : "For the lower parts 
of houses with shop fronts, and for the doors and win- 
dows, T. cannot do better than recommend rich browns, 
deep olive-toned greens, brownish reds and red pur- 
ples. Blue is sometimes successful if a deep, pale 
color, such as one finds used upon carriages. 

The white shop front does not appeal to me as at 
all effective. It detracts the attention from the goods 
in the window. 

I can conceive of no more suitable coloring for the 
woodwork than a deep brown of oak or walnut color, 
and for the metal work a bronze green or brass or cop- 
per color. A certain amount of gilding enlivens and 
renders more attractive, but requires more judgment 
than is usually bestowed on its form and position. 
Much more use might be made of aluminum and sil- 
ver-leaf, and of copper- or metal-leaf, properly lac- 
quered and protected. 

I prefer one color for doors and have little appre- 
ciation of parti-coloring for shop fronts or front doors. 
If relief is required it is better obtained by a few sim- 
ple lines and some color or gold upon the mouldings 
and enrichments. 

The following suggestions may be useful for shop 
front coloring. The first color is the house front 
above ; the second the sash frames and the door 
frames, etc. ; the third the shop front woodwork : — 

Warm gray; sienna yellow; rosewood brown. 

Gray stone; white; olive brown. 

Yellow sandstone ; greenish gray ; medium oak. 

Cool gray ; yellowish terra vert ; deep purple brown. 

Warm slaty tint ; green slate ; deep blue. 

Any of these schemes will be improved by a judicious 
use of gilding — not in petty stencilling, but in fairly 
large masses of enrichment or as lining or lettering. 



208 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

Another decorator, writing upon the subject in an 
English publication, says : "To make the front of a 
shop attractive, we know of nothing better than finish- 
ing it so as to give a true bronze effect. This may be 
done on either iron or woodwork, and if properly ap- 
plied the appearance of the finish will stand indefi- 
nitely. To prepare the surfaces they should first be 
given a coat of white lead, and afterwards two coats 
of aluminum liquid. When thoroughly hard, color 
with a coat of pale outside varnish, and when this is 
nearly drv dust over with dry aluminum powder with 
a camel's hair brush, and polish the surface after- 
wards with fine cotton wool to get brilliancy. Finally 
make up a transparent scumbling, made with varnish 
and a little boiled oil so as to flow, going over a sec- 
tion at a time and stippling gently so as to make the 
surface agree, and finish up and dry with a coat of 
varnish. Aluminum or bronze of any kind will stand 
well as long as it is not in contact with oil, paint or 
varnish, but is kept apart by a thin film of lacquer, 
spirit varnish or gelatine, or celluloid, which in its 
turn requires a protection of oil varnish. The point 
is to keep the air off it so as to allow no time for oxi- 
dization; therefore it should be laid upon a japan var- 
nish or gold size and be sized with pure gelatine as 
soon as laid." 

From another English publication. Woodwork 
for a draper's shop : 

i. Finishing coat, black japan with a little orange 
chrome added; decorate with fine lines of orange ver- 
milion. 

2. Finish black japan with yellow chrome added, 
and line with green made of yellow chrome and a 
touch of black. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 209 

3. Finish black japan with vermilion in it, and line 
or decorate with silver, or with an ivory color, rather 
deep. 

Color For Walls and Doors.— A good soft 
green, says Arts and Crafts, that may be used in large 
quantities without being staring, may be made by an 
admixture of raw sienna, green lake (light), and Ve- 
netian red and white, or another tone by raw sienna 
and indigo. Dutch pink and white (Dutch pink is 
much used by paperstainers, and helps to make a num- 
ber of those soft, light greens used on the grounds of 
their papers), or raw sienna, Antwerp blue and burnt 
sienna also make a good, soft green. A good color, 
somewhat resembling the old tapestry, can be made for 
a library wall by mixing middle chrome, Vandyke 
brown and mineral green with white or Prussian blue, 
ochre, and Venetian red. A good rich reddish-brown 
may be had with orange chrome, Vandyke brown, 
Venetian red and white; a brighter with vermilion, 
brown lake, and Vandyke; rich buff, with orange 
chrome, burnt sienna, and a little raw sienna and 
white, or Dutch pink, burnt sienna and white; a soft 
warm gray, with Indian red, blue black, burnt umber, 
and white ; a beautiful clear, though rather a cold gray, 
with ultra-marine and burnt umber and white ; a rich 
salmon color, with middle or orange chrome, Vermil- 
lion, and burnt sienna with white. You may give a 
rich though somewhat dark effect to a door by paint- 
ing it a little reddish brown and then stippling over 
the panels coarsely, so as to show the ground, with a 
mixture of brown lake and Vandyke, the stiles being 
painted Vandyke, with some brown lake in it, rather 
thin, but stippled very close and fine, sufficiently solid, 
however, to look several shades darker than the panels ; 



210 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

the prominent members of the mouldings may be the 
light reddish brown, ground color, and the sunken hol- 
lows Vandyke and brown lake, quite solid. A little 
added ornament on the panels in the light brown will 
give a very rich effect. 




THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 211 



PIGMENTS USED BY HOUSE PAINTERS 

NE of the most desirable features in paint- 
ers' colors is purity of tone. For compari- 
son it is well to have on hand artists' tube 
colors, those corresponding to house paint- 
ing pigments. Compare for purity of 
tone, fineness of grinding and tinting strength. You 
will find this interesting and useful. Place some pig- 
ment in oil on a piece of glass, and on that place an- 
other piece of glass, then rub the two together, after 
which examine the glass for scratches, in the pigment, 
if not on the glass. Or spread some pigment on glass 
with a spatula, and hold the glass to the light of the 
sun, or any intense light. A pure color coarsely 
ground will prove a poor tinter. Or place some color 
in a tube and thin out with turpentine, or benzine, and 
shake it well ; relative fineness of grinding may be 
determined by the time it takes the color to settle, 
coarse particles settling at once. The residue may be 
laid on some blotter paper and examined with a lens 
of five to ten diameters. 

Or weigh out equal amounts of pigment and add to 
white lead or zinc white; observe depth and clearness 
of tint given. 

Test dry colors for fineness of grinding and pres- 
ence of make-weights by placing in a tube with two- 
thirds water and shake ; pour off the water before the 
color has entirely settled, and repeat until the residue 
is obtained. Allow it to dry, then examine for granu- 
lar impurities. 

The pigments or colors used by house painters may 
be divided into two classes : First, the natural earth 



212 TEE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



colors; second, the chemical colors. A third class 
might be made of the earth colors containing more or 
less chemical colors, as Venetian red, Indian red, 
Tuscan red, etc. Again, the class of chemical colors 
may be divided to take in those that have some inert 
base added, such as chrome green, which is improved 
by the addition of considerable base material. 

Umber. — There are several grades of umber, but 
the best is Turkey umber. It has a warm, violet-brown 
color, while some other umbers have a rather yellow- 
ish tone. Raw is the natural umber, its color being 
greatly improved and altered by calcining it; the 
burnt umber is mostly used, there being very little call 
for the raw. With lead or zinc white, umber makes 
very pleasing colors, and alone it is a very useful pig- 
ment in graining, for walnut, and in stippling. It 
is one of the most useful pigments for the painter's 
use. Used as a body color, however, umber is liable 
to fade in the course of time. 

An imitation burnt umber may be made from a mix- 
ture of red, yellow and black, which gives a solid 
color, though not so transparent a color as the true 
umber. In other ways, the imitation works about the 
same as the real pigment, and can be used wherever 
umber is useful. 

Vandyke Brown. — An earth pigment, probably 
the result of the decomposition of lignite or brown 
coal, blackish-brown in color, smooth and very light. 
Very transparent, a durable pigment, but of very lit- 
tle use to the house painter, though the grainer em- 
ploys it in his work. Tints with lead cannot be made 
satisfactorily with it, for it gives only muddy tones. 
There are several varieties of Vandyke brown, but 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 213 



all are stable pigments, neutral with other pigments 
and bases. 

Yellow Ochre. — This is one of the most useful of 
all the pigments painters use, or misuse, for it is that, 
often. There are various grades, the French the best. 
The difference between the French and American 
ochre is that the former has a silicate base, while the 
latter has a clay base, and as clay absorbs water read- 
ily, the ochre containing it is defective as a paint to 
that extent, at least. Drawing moisture, the clay 
ochre causes blistering and scaling. Yet an American 
ochre of the best quality has three times the strength 
of the French ochre, but when mixed with white lead 
it gives only a dull tone, the French ochre giving a 
clear, bright tint. Nor does the American ochre work 
as well under the brush, nor cover half so well as the 
French ochre. The latter is, therefore, the cheaper of 
the two. The select brands of French ochre are valued 
on account of their uniform bright yellow color, 
which approaches that of a chrome yellow tone. The 
U. S. Government specifications require in French 
ochre at least 20 per cent, of oxide of iron, and not 
more than 5 per cent, of lime in any form. 

French ochres are branded as to color, tone, shade 
and quality by letters, each of which has a distinct 
meaning. They are not really intended to designate 
any standard, but to give the consumer a certain guide 
as to purchasing value. It is for the consumer to pro- 
tect himself by asking for samples and testing the 
same in comparison with such standards as he may 
have, before purchasing in quantity. The letters are 
the initials of French words, as follows : J stands 
for jaune (yellow) ; F for fonce (dark) ; L for lavee 
(levigated) : S for surfine (superfine) ; E for extra, 



214 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



superieur or superior, and C for claie (pale or light). 
So, for instance, J. F. S. means yellow dark levigated 
superfine, while J. F. L. E. S. means yellow dark levi- 
gated extra superfine. When the letters are confined 
to J. F. it simply means dark yellow, or J. T. L. 
would mean dark yellow washed ochre. When the 
letters are J. C. L. S. it means that the ochre is de- 
signated as citron yellow washed superfine, and J. O. 
L. S. means yellow golden washed superfine, the O 
standing for or (gold). When the brand designates 
French ochre as R. L. S. it means red washed super- 
fine, R standing for rouge (red). R. L. S. would 
mean dark red washed superfine. 

Yellow ochre should never be used as a basic pig- 
ment for first coats on exterior wood. Some ochres 
are amorphous, or composed of a large percentage of 
alumina (which is practically clay) ; others are crystal- 
line, or composed of silica (which is practically de- 
composed stone). The former when thinned with raw 
linseed oil and used for priming, will never dry hard, 
but remains soft and spongy under all succeeding 
coats, until the time comes when blisters are caused by 
exterior heat and a soft priming. This trouble rarely 
develops until the work has stood for ten years or 
more, and has been repainted once or twice during that 
time. 

Yellow ochre, whose nature is crystalline, is a much 
better filler for priming coats, and is less liable to 
cause trouble than the softer ochre, but when it dries 
thoroughly hard it is difficult for softer pigments to 
find a secure anchorage on this priming. The result 
is blistering or scaling. 

In some parts of the country, particularly in the 
west and south, there is a preference for ochre prim- 
ing, and this practice has been much discussed in the 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 215 



trade journals and at the master painters' meetings, 
the unanimous verdict being against the practice. 
Some use all ochre, others only a certain proportion 
of ochre, with white lead as the main pigment. Then 
there is a wide difference of quality between ochres, 
from the cheap, coarse American, to the finest French 
ochre. The latter alone should be used in priming, 
if one will use ochre for that purpose. It is a very 
well established fact that ochre priming will cause 
paint scaling", and even the use of a small amount of 
it in the priming causes some scaling. The reason for 
this is that the ochre is a very hard pigment, and its 
hard, dry surface will not take lead paint well, or not 
hold it perfectly. Besides which, ochre is merely a 
clay colored with a little iron. If the ochre is used 
on the score of economy, it is a very dear sort. But 
many say it is better in every way than lead for prim- 
ing, which statement is not borne out by facts. 

Why Ochre Should Not Be Used As a Primer. 
— i. Domestic ochres are not fillers. They plaster 
over the grain of the wood without filling in. 

2. They are susceptible to moisture and mildew. 

3. It is impossible to thoroughly incorporate ochre 
and oil by hand. If such a mixture is applied to a soft 
surface it will fail to bind and satisfy the surface with 
oil. On a hard surface it will slip over without pene- 
trating, and if elastic finishing coats are applied they 
will break loose and peel off in a short time. 

4. It is difficult to keep a yellow ochre primer of 
a uniform consistency while working. 

5. The material is so light, and works so easily 
under the brush that too heavy a coat will have been 
applied before this condition is noticed. 



216 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER : 

6. Ochre is of a much different composition, chem- 
ically and physically than white lead, and leaves a 
much harder surface and less porous, if ground in. oil 
by machinery; therefore finishing coats will not bind 
unless this feature is understood and the finishing- 
coats reduced and applied accordingly. 

7. While ochre leaves a hard, flinty surface, never- 
theless in case of hand mixture the surface is porous 
and full of air spaces, and requires a first coat reduced 
sufficiently with oil and turpentine to satisfy the un- 
satisfied ochre on the surface as well as the wood. 
This condition not being understood in the majority 
of cases, one coat is likely to be applied, resulting in 
peeling. 

8. Ochre is a slow drier, hence is apt to be undry as 
a priming coat, resulting in peeling. 

True Golden Ochre. — Golden ochre is not simply 
yellow ochre tinted with chrome yellow, though such 
golden ochres are made. The true golden ochre may 
be made in the factory from this formula : 

Barytes 550 lbs. 

Best American ochre 230 lbs. 

Nitrate of lead 29 lbs. 

Bichromate of potash 15 lbs. 

Glauber salts 12 lbs. 

Sal soda 6 lbs. 

This formula produces an ordinary lead chrome 
thrown down on a base consisting of barytes and 
ochre. Further description of the process may not 
be necessary, as the intention is here merely to indi- 
cate what a true golden ochre is. 

Golden Ochre. — A sample showed 60 per cent, 
of whiting, with some barytes, chrome yellow and red 
ochre. It was labeled "Golden Ochre, Washed.'' You 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 217 



can make a golden ochre with best French ochre in oil, 
and tint it with medium chrome yellow ; for a darker 
shade use orange chrome yellow in place of the me- 
dium shade. 

Sienna. — Properly speaking, the pigment sienna 
is only a yellow ochre of a deeper or browner color. 
Some writers class both under the head of ochre. 
They consist essentially of an earthy base colored 
by oxide of iron or manganese, or of both. A good 
sienna should show very little grit under the palette 
knife, and should have good coloring strength, which 
point may easily be tested by tinting white lead with 
it. For transparency try it as a glaze over a graining 
ground. Raw sienna is much lighter than the burnt, 
which has a very red cast. The raw is useful in 
making oak graining color, and the burnt in making 
cherry stain and graining color. Both are very useful 
tinters, also, producing with white lead or zinc very 
beautiful colors, which are much used in exterior and 
interior painting and decoration. The Italian brand of 
sienna is best. 

Yellow. — The most important yellow pigment used 
by the house painter, and about the only one, is lead 
chromate, or chrome yellow, of which there are sev- 
eral shades. The lighter shades usually contain lead 
sulphate, as well as lead chromate, while the deep 
orange yellow contains some basic lead chromate. 
Pure chrome yellow should contain only lead chrom- 
ate, lead sulphate, and possibly some basic lead in the 
deeper shades. Lead sulphate may be replaced by 
other insoluble compounds. A chrome yellow should 
be considered adulterated if it contains anything be- 
sides insoluble lead compounds. Chrome yellow is 



218 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



often adulterated with whiting or barytes, as well as 
with lead sulphate. Pure lead chromate has an orange- 
yellow color, and no matter how made, it always has 
this color. But color makers produce several shades 
from the orange to the pale yellow or so-called lemon 
yellow, the light colors being impure, of course. 

Zinc chrome yellow is costlier than lead chrome, 
and not much in demand, being specially useful where 
a yellow is required in the presence of sulphur, 
whether in pigments used in its connection or in the 
air. Zinc chrome yellow is far inferior to lead chrome 
yellow in point of coloring strength, but it is not 
poisonous and is faster to light. While lead chrom- 
ates vary much in color, it is nearly impossible to get 
any variation of color in zinc chrome. 

So powerful in tinting strength is lead chrome that 
as much as 50 per cent, of adulteration may be used 
and still the color will pass as pure. 

True Vermilion. — The term genuine vermilion 
can only be applied to the red sulphide of mercury, 
HgS. True vermilion is invariably of this composi- 
tion, although the source or origin of pigment may 
vary. Thus there are the Chinese, English and Ger- 
man vermilions, and these may be made by the dry 
or the wet process; the composition of the product is 
always the same, and only sulphide of mercury can 
claim to be called vermilion. 

English vermilion is a sulphide of mercury. It 
and the French and Chinese vermilions are made on 
this formula : 200 parts by weight of mercury or 
quicksilver, and 32 parts by weight of sulphur, the 
chemical combination being sulphide of mercury. 
The Chinese vermilion is rather a finer product than 
the others. How the Chinese discovered the secret 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 219 



of making" this beautiful chemical color with abso- 
lutely no knowledge of chemistry, is one of the un- 
fathomed mysteries. 

True vermilion has good body and covering capa- 
city, but is affected by light, which in time changes it 
to a dirty brown. 

True vermilion should show no bleeding on boiling 
with alcohol and water, and no free sulphur by extrac- 
tion with carbon disulphide. A small quantity mixed 
with four or five times its weight of dry carbonate of 
soda and heated in a tube should show globules of 
mercury on the cooler portions of the globe. The 
best test is for purity of the ash, which should not be 
more than one-half of one per cent. 

An imitation vermilion can be detected by the 
presence of aniline, with which most all imitations are 
colored. Place some of the dry pigment in the palm 
of your hand, and note whether it leaves a rose-pink 
discoloration or not, and which stain will not easily 
wash away with water; the stain left by true vermil- 
ion is easily washed off with water. The true ver- 
milion is a very heavy pigment, and when pressed 
with a spatula will pack, while the spurious article will 
be fluffy, and will not pack. Genuine vermilion is 
now very little used, organic lakes being used for the 
most of the brilliant scarlet, red and vermilion shades ; 
these organic colors are also used sometimes for pre- 
cipitating on red lead, orange mineral, or zinc oxide, 
but as a general thing the base is barytes, whiting or 
China clay. 

American vermilion is a chromate of lead color, 
very permanent, but a very poor coverer, and not much 
used now. 

The eosine vermilions are imitations, described 
above. They are simply red lead, or barytes, or whit- 



220 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

ing" and clay, some of these being" used with the red 
lead. These eosine or aniline vermilions fade badly 
in the light, and in a very brief time, changing to a 
dirty pink color. 

The Para reds have about replaced the eosine reds, 
for they are quite permanent, very cheap, and cover 
well, though not as well as the eosine vermilions. 
The Para reds may be placed in three distinct classes : 
Those containing barytes and zinc as a base, those 
containing red lead, and the Para red lakes, contain- 
ing alumina, whiting, etc. 

Red, Light. — This is simply yellow ochre calcined 
to redness. It is a permanent color and a good drier. 

Prussian Blue. — The two blues of importance to 
house painters are Prussian and ultramarine. Under 
the name of Prussian blue are included all ferro- 
cyanide blues, such as Antwerp, Chinese, Turnbull's, 
etc. These blues are all ferric ferro-cyanides, or 
double iron potassium salts of hydroferro-cyanic or 
hydroferri-cyanic acids. Prussian blue is obtained 
from sulphate of iron and sulphuric acid in solution, 
and yellow prussiate of potash in solution. It is an 
extremely strong color, and hence valuable in tinting. 
It is too transparent to be used much as a body color. 
It is a permanent color, though it has a slight tendency 
to fade if exposed to a strong light too long. Its 
covering power is defective, this owing to its trans- 
parency. Lime and alkali will affect it, giving it a 
rusty appearance; while acids deepen its color. Mixed 
with zinc oxide it forms a fine color and covers much 
better. 

While these blues of the ferro-cyanide order would 
all analyze the same, chemically, there is quite a dif- 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 221 

ference in them, physically. Prussian blue, proper, 
when mixed with the white pigments, produces a light 
blue shade, slightly purplish and grayish, while the 
Chinese, etc., blues of the same order, give a clearer 
and more true shade of blue. There is also a differ- 
ence in strength of coloring power. 

Prussian blue is most useful to the house painter 
when in a slightly adulterated form, strange as this 
may appear. When ground in oil as other oil colors 
are, it is apt to become livery, hence must be ground 
in a special oil. It is a very bad drier, and exerts a re- 
tarding action on drying-oils. Fortunately a very lit- 
tle of this blue suffices to tint with. 

Celestial blue and Brunswick blue are only reduced 
or adulterated qualities of Prussian blue, frequently 
containing 5, 10, and 12 per cent, only of Prussian 
blue. If barytes be taken and on it be struck Prus- 
sian blue to the extent of 12^ per cent, of the total 
weight of pigment, a product is obtained which, when 
ground in oil, gives an exceedingly intense dark 
"Royal" blue. But when so reduced the blues should 
be sold for what they are. 

Lime Blue. — This is simply a common grade of 
ultramarine blue, and is not to be used for tinting, as 
its color is not reliable, and it is coarse. Ultramarine 
blue is not affected by alkali, lime, etc., but is af- 
fected by sulphur. Hence changes in white lead paint. 
Prussian blue also is affected by alkalis. 

Ultramarine Blue. — Ultramarine blue is a com- 
pound of unknown constitution, being made by heat- 
ing clay, soda, sulphur and charcoal together. It ap- 
pears to be a complete silicate of aluminum and so- 
dium. On account of the sulphide present it cannot 



222 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

be used with lead pigments. Good ultramarine gives 
little tarnish on polished copper. It may be told from 
Prussian blue by being dissolved in hydrochloric acid 
with the evolution of hydrogen sulphide. 

Ultramarine blue is little used in house painting, 
because used by itself it is too bright a blue, and it 
does not produce as clear a light shade of blue on a 
white base as the Milori and Chinese blues. 

Chinese Blue is a variety of Prussian blue, pos- 
sessing a much clearer tone and better keeping quali- 
ties. It is simply a superior form of Prussian blue. 
Any Prussian blue made from cheap grades of prussi- 
ate of potash will have a dingy color; hence a good 
test is clearness of color tone. The prussiate blues 
also have a tendency to fade on long exposure to light. 

Chrome Green. — The most important green is 
chrome green, which is a mixture of Prussian blue 
and lead chromate. A green made of ultramarine 
and zinc is occasionally found. If absolute perma- 
nence is required chronium oxide is sometimes used, 
but this pigment is not common. The very brilliant 
copper arsenic compounds, Paris green, etc., are lit- 
tle used in paints. 

A pure chrome green should contain only Prussian 
blue, lead chromate, and lead sulphate. Greens made 
by precipitating the ingredients together are superior 
to those made by mixing the blue and yellow after 
they are precipitated separately. To distinguish the 
two rub the pigment in oil and allow it to stand. A 
badly-made green will show blue, but one properly 
made by precipitation will not. Under the microscope 
a badly-made green, in the dry, will show blue and 
yellow particles, as well as green. A well-made green 
will show green and some blue particles, but no yellow. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 223 

For body work, or when the green is used by 
itself, greens containing from 70 to 95 per. cent, of 
adulteration may be used; and the covering capacity 
is little impaired, even indeed when the amount is 
not above 80 per cent. China clay, barytes, and terra 
alba are the usual adulterants. The same may be 
said of Paris and ultramarine greens. They stand the 
light well, but are affected by lime, which turns the 
blue of the green a rusty orange color. 

Paris Green. — Emerald green. Years ago much 
used in painting window blinds, Venetian blinds, etc., 
but so very poisonous that chrome green was devised 
to supersede it. It is sometimes added to chrome 
green to liven the latter. A very poor covering color, 
one of the worst we have. 

Ultramarine Green is quite permanent, but is 
very seldom used by the house painter, though the 
interior decorator or frescoer finds use for it. It is 
too transparent to use excepting as a fresco color. 

Lampblack. — Black pigments are practically all 
carbon black, in one form or another. Lampblack is 
a finely divided carbon, obtained by collecting the 
smoke produced by burning oils, with the admittance 
of a supply of air sufficiently reduced to prevent per- 
fect combustion, the aim being to consume all con- 
stituents of the burning body but the carbon, and to 
preserve as much of that as possible. 

Pure lampblack is a permanent color, and extreme- 
ly durable. While not of itself a very pleasing color, 
yet it is about the most honest and dependable we 
have. Will last longer and stand heat, cold and 
weather better than any other pigment or combina- 



224 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

tion of colors. It is a slow drier, yet will dry within 
a reasonable time ; the addition of some Prussian blue 
will make it dry better and not affect its color. It is 
so fine that no mill could possibly grind a pigment 
as fine as this. Lampblack is sometimes added to 
other blacks to improve fineness and durability. 

Natural gas lampblack is free from mineral im- 
purities and unburned oil, and possesses a full color. 
Very durable and fine, altogether desirable as a pig- 
ment. 

Blacks, alike chemically, may behave very differ- 
ently when ground in thin varnish. For example, 
lampblack mixed with such varnish in a ratio of 20 to 
100 has flow, while gas black, similarly treated, has 
no flow. 

Blacks are occasionally adulterated with Prussian 
blue, and it is said that at least one black on the market 
contains a large amount of magnetic oxide of iron, 
which may readily be detected with a magnet. Lamp- 
black will stand 50 per cent, of adulteration with 
barytes or whiting and still look good. 

Carbon black is not a good drier, in fact it is almost 
impossible to make it dry. 

As a general rule, the lighter and bulkier the lamp- 
black, that is, the smaller the amount that can be 
packed in a given space, the greater the amount of 
oil which it will absorb, and the greater the tinting 
strength, regardless of tone, pound for pound. Two 
blacks, dry, of equal strength, one requiring more oil 
in grinding, will show a good test. The one requiring 
the most oil will produce the weakest color in oil, 
while a more expensive but stronger black, absorb- 
ing a larger amount of oil, may produce a paste both 
stronger and cheaper. Thus we see that there is more 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 225 

in the selection of a dry lampblack than mere strength 
alone. 

To test lampblack place some on a tin lid and hold 
it over a flame until the mass has burned for a few 
minutes, when the remaining- powder will show all the 
characteristics of lampblack, namely, a powder per- 
fectly smooth under the palette knife, and black in 
color. Pure gas black, after burning, will show a 
slightly gritty residue, of a brownish-black shade, 
caused by the drying material ground with it. With an 
adulteration of 50 per cent, of barytes, lampblack will 
show a residue of white, with streaks of uncalcined 
lampblack. Gas black, with 50 per cent, whiting, will 
show a residue of dirty white color, with brown-black 
streaks of unburnt material. 

For tinting purposes, it is said that a lampblack- 
adulterated with as high as one-half barytes is better 
even than the pure article, but the price should be cor- 
respondingly low. 

Drop Black. — Ivory drop black should be made 
from calcined ivory, but seldom is. It has a rich, vel- 
vety black color, while bone black has a reddish cast. 
Bone black is called ivory black. The name, drop, 
comes from the manner of making it ; the dry powder 
is mixed with a little glue size and is allowed to fall 
in the form of cone-shaped drops, which are then dried 
and sold to color grinders. Pure ivory drop black will 
resist sunlight better than any other black excepting, 
perhaps, lampblack. It is considered to be the most 
permanent of all the blacks, not excluding lampblack. 
In making tints of gray with black, remember that 
lampblack and drop black make different tints, the 
latter making a softer tint, the former a colder gray. 
A little burnt umber is good in making a gray tint 
with black. 



226 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



Indian Red. — This fine red, when pure, consists 
almost entirely of iron oxide; it is one of the best 
covering colors we have. 

Tuscan Red. — This beautiful and very popular 
red is simply Indian red toned with rose pink or ani- 
line dye, hence to that extent it is less stable than 
the Indian red. It loses its rich coloring in time and 
goes back to its original Indian red color. Tuscan 
may be adulterated as much as 64 per cent., and pass, 
but such adulteration is less frequent now than for- 
merly, and threatens to become a lost art. 

Genuine Tuscan red, the dyed Indian red, being 
merely an imitation, is made by calcining iron oxide 
until it acquires a purple shade, the so-called Indian 
red. This is then toned up with alizarine lake, 
washed, dried, ground, bolted, etc., and then is ready 
for grinding. The imitation Tuscan red is composed 
of a cheap base, like whiting or gypsum, and dyed 
with aniline. Such imitations are more brilliant than 
the real thing, but they soon fade and look bad. 

Venetian Red.— This may be properly included 
under the head of paint bases or paints, as it is very 
seldom used for tinting or general house painting, 
unless it be for the tin roof. It fades badly when 
mixed with white lead, and fades quickly, too. It, 
however, holds very well with zinc white. It is an 
oxide of iron combined with lime. The U. S. Gov- 
ernment specifications require at least 40 per cent, 
sesquioxide of iron and not more than 15 per cent, 
of silica, and the remainder of lime rendered incapable 
of taking up water of crystallization. The best grades 
contain sulphate of lime, and the cheaper grades, car- 
bonate of lime. The more oxide of iron present, the 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 227 

stronger the color, and, if finely ground, the greater 
the covering capacity. The Venetian reds are not 
much affected by the elements, but sometimes fade 
when an excess of carbonate of lime has been used 
in their manufacture. The darkening of this red is 
often due to sulphurous fumes, smoke, etc. 

A Venetian red that looks bright when dry, but 
when mixed with oil shows up dull, may be regarded 
as of bad quality. Always test dry colors by mixing 
in oil before buying. 

Inert Pigments. — When oil is mixed with the 
chemical pigments, such as lead, zinc, yellow chrome, 
Prussian blue, etc., there is a chemical union, and 
chemical reactions occur between the oil and the pig- 
ment, to the injury of the paint. 

When the earth pigments, the ochres, siennas, um- 
bers, etc., are mixed with oil there is a mechanical 
union, like the mixing of sand and water ; there is 
no chemical union or reaction. Hence we call such 
pigments inert, and to this class belong barytes, silica, 
terra alba, etc. When inert pigments are added to 
chemical pigments there is an absence of chemical 
reaction, to a very large extent, at least. The vari- 
ous substances used as inert additions to paint are 
barytes, whiting, gypsum, kaolin, pulverized silica, 
soapstone and ground feldspar. Gypsum is probably 
the best to use with pigments. It is of great durabil- 
ity, chemically inactive as a pigment, of low specific 
gravity, and can easily be ground and incorporated 
with pigments or paints, and does not settle rapidly 
in the paint pot. But should water get into the paint 
mixed with gypsum it is apt to liver up. 

Zinc White or Zinc Oxide. — There are two meth- 
ods of making this excellent pigment, the French and 



228 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

the American. Briefly the former consists in prepar- 
ing it from the pure zinc metal known as spelter ; the 
other way is to treat the ore. The French process 
naturally gives the finer article, one that is of the ut- 
most whiteness ; the American process zinc white is 
somewhat harsher of texture and not so white. 
Chinese white is only another name for the French 
process zinc white. French zinC is particularly use- 
ful for the artist and the interior decorator, while the 
American process zinc white is very good for outside 
painting. Some Western brands of zinc white con- 
tain a small percentage of lead sulphate, but this is 
not considered to be in any way harmful to a paint 
made from it, either for exterior or interior work. 

• Chremnitz, Chinese and Florence White. — The 
first named white is the best selected white lead ground 
in damar varnish. Chinese white is a fancy name for 
zinc oxide white. Florence white, sold in paste and 
liquid form, is French process zinc white, ground in 
damar varnish. 

Lithopone, or zinc sulphide white. A white pow- 
der resembling zinc white in appearance, but of 
heavier gravity and not as great an absorber of oil. 
There are several grades, sold as red, white, blue, 
green and yellow seal. The green seal brand is re- 
garded as being the best; it consists of zinc sulphide, 
30 per cent.; zinc oxide, 2 per cent., and barytes, 68 
per cent. The other grades range from 26 per cent, 
zinc sulphide to about 14 per cent. If you will drop 
a little diluted hydrochloric acid on some zinc white 
there will be no result. But drop it on lithopone and 
you get the odor of a burning match, or sulphuretted 
hydrogen. It will also effervesce. Lithopone has 
good covering power, spreading well, but is not to 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 229 



be used in connection with white lead, which it discol- 
ors. Of itself it is a very permanent pigment, being 
unaffected by sulphur gases or other gases that are 
baneful to many other pigments. Its greatest use as 
regards house painting is in wall paints, a subject 
treated in full in another part of this work. It has 
long been used as a paint by oil cloth makers. 

White Lead. — Corroded lead, basic lead carbonate. 
May be made by several different methods. Is an 
amorphous white powder, with little affinity for lin- 
seed oil, an elastic base, and the best for all general 
paint purposes. Should be white, fine, and of good 
covering power. A yellow tone indicates overheating 
while grinding. Of a pink cast, contains some red 
lead. A grayish tone indicates the presence of uncor- 
roded lead. 

Sublimed Lead, or basic lead sulphate. It is made 
by burning lead ore that contains some zinc and 
which cannot be entirely removed. There is found 
usually about 90 per cent, lead sulphate and 10 per 
cent, zinc oxide in its average composition. It has 
a harsh texture, and is not as elastic as the best white 
lead, nor has it as good a covering power. It does 
not flow well under the brush, nor make a nice, level 
surface. Exposed to sulphur gases it will not darken 
as white lead does. The addition of a small percent- 
age of Paris whiting is said to greatly improve its 
texture. In fine, it has so many objectionable quali- 
ties that it cannot be said that it is a useful pigment 
for the house painter. It does not present any ad- 
vantages that white lead does not offer, while its 
merits are few. Under the blow pipe it is difficult of 
reduction and can only be reduced when fused with 



230 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

powdered borax, and even then with difficulty. Its 
critics say of it that it lacks body, becomes brittle, 
and cracks. 

Zinc Lead. — This rather modern paint base, used 
mostly by paint manufacturers, is composed of about 
equal parts of lead sulphate and zinc oxide, and is 
derived from an ore containing lead and zinc. The 
method of making this pigment is similar to that em- 
ployed in making sublimed lead. Possessing a good 
body, yet it does not work as well under the brush 
as a mixture of lead and zinc in equal parts. It has 
a harsh texture, more than that of sublimed lead, and 
its color is poor. It, however, carries more oil than 
either white lead or sublimed lead, by about 20 per 
cent. Used by itself on exterior work it shows a ten- 
dency to crack. 

Sulphate of lead, largely used in some ready made 
paints, lacks covering power, a fault that may be over- 
come by the addition of borax, it is said. Lead sul- 
phate is not poisonous, nor is borax. 

Steatite. — The mineral steatite is better known 
to the public as soapstone, talc or talcum. It is a 
composition of magnesium oxide and silica, combined 
with a certain percentage of water. Most people are 
familiar with the substance, and will recall its soapy 
feel, it being a favorite foot powder, to enable one 
to draw on one's shoe easily. Also, as talcum powder. 
But there are several varieties, and several colors, 
such as white, cream, gray and pale apple green. 
To the variety which is scientifically described as 
foliaceous, or micaceous, is given the name of talc. 
To the compact, crypto-crystalline to coarsely granu- 
lar forms is given the name steatic. To the dark 
gray and greenish talcose rocks, which are soft enough 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 231 



to be cut by a knife, and which have the peculiar soapy 
feel, is given the name soapstone. The pure creamy 
white talc is used for making crayons and slate pen- 
cils. French chalk, used by tailors, and often men- 
tioned by sign painters as useful for outlining letters 
on glass, is a very line talc, obtained from abroad; 
most, if not all of what we use, being quarried in our 
own country. The fibrous and granular talcs are 
used for a number of purposes. One very near rela- 
tion of talc is meerschaum, the chemical formulas of 
the two being very alike, both being composed of 
magnesium oxide and silica, with a little water. 
Soapstone in powdered form is used in quite a num- 
ber of special paints, but is too transparent in oil to 
be used as a base. Its chief value lies in its property 
of giving a glaze or polish to a painted surface, to its 
fireproof character, and its voluminous nature. — Scott. 

Whiting. — Whiting is made from natural chalk 
rock, which is crushed to a coarse powder, then is 
ground under water to a fine pulp, after which it is 
ground in another kind of mill, and made into a moist 
cream. Then the cream is run into a large tank of 
water, where it is stirred, and after a time it is al- 
lowed to settle, the coarser parts going to the bottom, 
and the liquid part is drawn off into another tank, 
from whence it is run into a still smaller tank, each 
time losing something of its coarseness. This wash- 
ing process is called "levigation." By this system 
of "floating"' the whiting in water the last tank will 
contain the finest whiting, and the different tanks will 
yield different grades of whiting. The whiting is now 
taken from the tanks in a moist mass and dried in a 
"stove room." The whiting may be sold in this lump 
form. When moulded in cylinder form it is called 



232 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



Spanish white. This hard lump whiting must be 
ground in mills before it is lit for the decorator's use. 
Ground, then sifted through what is called "bolting 
cloth," a fine-meshed textile material used also by 
millers of flour. The resultant whiting is known as 
bolted whiting. But much of the "bolted" whiting 
on the market is really "air floated" whiting, a much 
finer substance. 

When the whiting settles in the tanks the coarsest 
part goes to the bottom, the next coarsest part forms 
a layer upon the first, and so on, the tjp layer being 
the lightest and finest. This top layer is known as 
Paris white, the layer below is called "gilders' 
whiting," and the bottom layer is sold as "commer- 
cial" whiting, it being used mostly in the manufacture 
of putty. 

The name of whiting in chemistry is calcium car- 
bonate, meaning carbonate of lime. 

While whiting is usually classed among the inert 
pigments by paint men, yet it is well known as a form 
of lime, being a carbonate of lime, it must form a lime 
soap by reason of a chemical reaction between it and 
the oil in paint. Such a paint, that is, whiting in oil, 
or a paint in which whiting may largely figure, can- 
not be considered a durable one. Yet we have the 
evidence of great durability in the well-known form 
of putty, which, when properly made, becomes hard as 
stone, and does not soon decay. Also we know that 
a white paint containing some whiting with lead, was 
formerly used for years, and with the best results, on 
river boats. At any rate, whiting is one of the most 
indispensable materials we use. 

The different grades of whiting vary in weight, the 
best being finest of texture, weigh less, or are bulkier. 
Thus, a gallon of precipitated chalk, the finest form of 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 233 

chalk or whiting, weighs but little less than three 
lbs., while a gallon of Paris white weighs a little 
more than 7 lbs. A gallon of gilders' bolted whiting 
weighs nearly 6 lbs. 

Barytes. — Certainly if ever paint makers get to 
worshipping graven images they should carve them 
out of the mineral barytes, for it has been their most 
useful agent in connection with the manufacture of 
paint and colors. Not that the use thereof has al- 
ways been wrong, for as an extender or necessary 
filler, barytes has its use. But many a ton of it, cost- 
ing, say, $20 a ton, has gone into paint shops at any- 
where from $100 a ton upwards, in the form of so- 
called white lead, paint and colors. To-day compara- 
tively little of this shameful adulteration is done, 
and when barytes is used in paints or color, some ex- 
cuse is generally made for its presence. That it is a 
valuable addition in many cases there can be no doubt, 
but as an adulterant it is always wrong. 

Given two samples of a white powder, one of which 
is dry white lead, the other dry barytes, and asked 
to tell the two apart you could not do it ; they are 
equally white, equallv fine, equally heav)^. But rub up 
some of each in oil, and at once the difference is ap- 
parent, the white lead continuing white, the barytes 
looking like putty. 

Being exceedingly fine of texture, free from color, 
and inert, it has paint virtues of a high order. It 
takes stains uniformly, and to make a small quantity 
of color, aniline, for instance, cover much surface, it 
is very useful ; it is in, consequence, used as a base for 
conveying many organic coloring matters that are 
used in paints. 

In the paint shop barytes has no place, whiting be- 
ing the more useful inert material to the painter. 




234 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



WHITE LEAD 

HILE I have endeavored as far as possible, 
in the preparation of this work, to refrain 
from discussing paint from the chemist's 
position, yet it is necessary to say a little 
about the chemistry side, too. Thus, to 
describe white lead without telling of its chemical 
make-up, would be of little use, since there are many 
forms of white lead, some of little value to the painter, 
others not satisfactory, and the remainder excellent. 
Now, we want to know why this is, why "good white 
lead will not differ materially in its composition by 
whatever process it is made, but may differ seriously 
in its physical character, and in its fitness to produce 
a substance adapted to the uses to which white lead 
is applied." Good white lead may be a compound of 
two kinds, one containing two molecules of carbonate, 
the other three molecules. Or, one part of hydrate 
and two parts of carbonate of lead, and one part hy- 
drate and three parts carbonate of lead. The latter 
is in the proportion of 75 per cent, carbonate and 25 
per cent, hydrate of lead, and this is generally ac- 
cepted as the correct formula of a good white lead. 
This seems trifling, yet when we come to understand 
the subject we find that it is very important. The 
chemist tells us that the hydrate of lead and the linseed 
oil in the ground lead unite to form a sort of varnish, 
it is semi-transparent, and has no covering capacity. 
But it holds the particles of lead together, a very use- 
ful matter. Now, the carbonate of lead and oil pro- 
duce an opaque compound, which has no body or 
covering, and in which the white solid carbonate 
is held in feeble mechanical suspension. Neither, 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 235 



alone, is a paint, but united they form the best paint 
material known. Now, the proportions of hydrate 
and carbonate should never exceed or fall below these 
figures. Yet it will readily occur to you that such a 
variation might easily occur, doubtless does so occur, 
and we have some white lead that is not as satisfactory 
as others.. 

Little needs be said about white leads made by dif- 
ferent processes. No method of making white lead 
may be considered entirely satisfactory, the ideal way 
is yet to be discovered; but we get very fair results 
from any white lead that is worthy of the name, and 
with this we must rest content. 

There are two points desirable, whiteness and fine- 
ness. Whiteness indicates perfect corrosion and the 
absence of impurities and discolorations. The whiter 
the lead the clearer the tints and whiter the white job. 
A painter will almost invariably pick out the whitest 
white lead when offered two different brands. And 
if it turns out gritty or so-called sandy, he wants no 
more of that. 

There are extremes of color to guard against, the 
blue tint and the yellow-toned lead. The blue is ar- 
tificial, and the yellow shows a burnt lead or the 
presence of foreign matter, due to poor methods of 
manufacture. 

A finely-ground white lead means more wear and 
tear of grinding machinery, and less output per hour, 
too. And it takes more oil, also, oil being a costly in- 
gredient. The grinder saves time and machinery and 
money by not grinding fine, which means also that his 
product will be thinner than it should be. He loses 
something in this matter of thin grinding, too, for it 
takes more oil, yet it pays better than the stiffer and 
finer grinding. 



236 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

Careful grinding is required in the making of a 
good white lead. Too close grinding or friction will 
result in the graying of the product. A first-class 
white lead will show perfect whiteness, it will be 
opaque, or perfectly non-transparent, free from acid, 
free from water, and free from every foreign matter. 
Overheating of the mill will make a white lead more 
or less deficient in body, due to too great saponification 
of the lead and oil. 

In the making of white lead only the purest lead 
should be used ; it must not contain more than the 
merest traces of copper, iron, zinc, or bismuth, or anti- 
mony, and not an ounce of silver to the ton of lead, 
the chemist tells us. All these minerals appear in 
close association with lead. If they exist in excess of 
this very small proportion they will show in a low 
percentage of corrosion and defective color of the fin- 
ished product. 

One of the best points with white lead is, that hav- 
ing added enough linseed oil to it to overcome its 
chemical reaction, sufficient body is left to satisfac- 
torily hide the surface and afford the desired degree 
of opacity and Avhiteness. White lead is perfectly 
stable in pure air, and is not affected by light. In 
impure air, however, it is not permanent, being rapidly 
decomposed by even weak acids, and gradually chang- 
ing color on exposure to air containing hydrogen sul- 
phide or other sulphur compounds, turning first yellow 
and finally a dingy brown, owing to the formation of 
lead sulphide. This discoloration is less rapid in oil 
paint than in water colors, because of the oil film pro- 
tecting it ; yet the yellowing occurs in time. This dis- 
coloration is accelerated by darkness and retarded 
by sunlight. The sun, indeed, bleaches white paint 
in the open air. Thus we may take a board that 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 237 



has been painted with white oil paint and left in the 
dark for a long time, and set it in the sunlight for 
several days, when the original white color will be 
more or less restored, this being due to the fact that 
the lead sulphide has been oxidized to lead sulphate. 
Therefore, white paint in oil does very well on ex- 
terior work, as the sun bleaches out the oil, and the 
whiteness will be more or less unimpaired, according 
to the amount of sulphur gases in the air, as where 
there is much soft or hard coal gas. It is also best 
to use little or no driers in outside white paint, be- 
cause driers hasten the drying, and this is only an- 
other way of burning the paint; you know that when 
you overheat white paint it yellows or browns, ac- 
cording to the degree of heat employed. Hasty drying 
of the white paint, therefore, tends to darken it. 

White lead is easy of adulteration, and frequently 
is found adulterated. Some samples of white lead 
were found to contain absolutely no white lead at all. 
The pigment mostly used for the purpose is barytes, 
because it is most like white lead in specific gravity; 
if whiting, or similar pigment of low specific gravity 
were used, it would soon be detected. Pulp white lead 
is simply that which has been ground in water, form- 
ing a pulp that weighs 12 to 20 pounds to the gal- 
lon ; to this pulp is added the necessary amount of lin- 
seed oil ; it is then churned much as butter is churned, 
and in a little while the lead and oil will unite and 
fall to the bottom, while the water rises to the top 
and is drawn off. The lead is then packed in kegs. 
Pulp lead is not considered desirable by most painters. 
That some water remains in it seems more than likely. 

It is advised that the painter test his white lead, 
thus, for one simple way : Take a very small quantity 
of the white lead and place it in a saucer, then pour over 



238 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



it some turpentine and mix to about the consistency of 
cream. Pour this mixture rapidly on a piece of glass 
and allow it to drain off, when, any grit being present, 
the same may easily be detected. 

Old white lead is usually regarded as being better 
than the freshly made. 

White lead and linseed oil mixed in almost any 
common proportions of vehicle and pigment give a 
paint which is readily workable, of good hiding power, 
and which, after application, produces an elastic paint 
film, that because of its elasticity, will resist the de- 
structive agencies of the weather better than any 
other paint. It possesses the ability to contract and 
expand in response to the seasonal temperature 
changes without either losing its tenacious grip upon 
the surface it is protecting or developing cracks and 
checking because of brittleness. 

Some painters contend that the addition of some 
color to white lead paint adds to its durability, but 
I think this is not true in the way they think it is. 
It is not the color or added pigment, but the fact 
that more oil is required and added. White paint ap- 
parently does not cover as well as, say, a gray, made 
by adding four ounces of lampblack to one hundred 
pounds of white lead. The gray seems to cover bet- 
ter than the white, hence we feel safe in thinning it 
out more, and in that way get more oil and greater 
durability. 

White lead becomes rather solid with age, especially 
in" a wooden container, in which case the oil is largely 
absorbed by the wood, and in any case the oil rises to 
the top and leaves the heavier lead solid at the bottom. 
It is true that soft lead is easier to mix, but if very 
soft in the keg and it may be regarded as being fresh, 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 239 



and hence not as good for painting with as a lead 
having some age. 

Danger from White Lead. — The danger to be 
apprehended by painters in the use of white lead is 
grossly exaggerated. Those who work where the lead 
is made, and where there is much dry white lead or 
dust, are, indeed, liable to poisoning, but once the 
lead is mixed with oil, the danger of poisoning is next 
to none at all. 

The following is regarded as a trustworthy and 
simple commercial test of the purity of white lead : 
Take a piece of firm, close-grained charcoal, and near 
one end of it scoop out a cavity about half an inch in 
diameter and a quarter of an inch in depth. Place 
in the cavity a sample of the lead to be tested, about 
the size of a small pea, and apply to it continuously 
the blue or hottest part of the flame of the blow pipe ; 
if the sample is strictly pure it will, in a very short 
time, say in two minutes, be reduced to metallic lead; 
but if adulterated, even to the extent of 10 per cent, 
only with oxide of zinc, sulphate of baryta, silica, 
whiting", or any other carbonate of lime (which sub- 
stances are the only adulterants used), or if it is com- 
posed entirely of these materials, as is sometimes the 
case with cheap lead (so called), it cannot be reduced, 
but remains on the charcoal an infusible mass. Dry 
white lead (carbonate of lead) is composed of metallic 
lead, oxygen, and carbonic acid, and when ground 
with linseed oil, forms the white lead of commerce. 
When it is subjected to the above treatment the oil 
is first burned off, then at a certain degree of heat, 
the oxygen and carbonic acid are set free, leaving only 
the metallic lead from which it was manufactured. 



240 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



If, however, there be present in the sample any of the 
above-mentioned adulterations, they cannot, of course, 
be reduced to metallic lead, and cannot be reduced by 
any heat of the blow-pipe flame to their own metallic 
base, and being intimately incorporated with the car- 
bonate of lead, they prevent it from being reduced. 

Why White Lead Paint Chalks. — This is one 
of the many paint troubles that in former years was 
unknown. As long as the linseed oil and white lead 
remain in the original condition, as a paint, there will 
be no chalking, of course, for chalking indicates the 
loss of the oil. Various reasons have been given by 
experts why white lead paint so often chalks, as com- 
pared with olden times. Probably there is much truth 
in that which ascribes the trouble as being due to in- 
sufficient coats and hurried work. Years ag*o, not less 
than three coats were given to new work, while now 
two is the rule. Then, time was taken to brush out 
the paint and rub it in well. Now, the paint is fairly 
dashed on, with no pretense to doing a strictly first- 
class job. Again, in the old days, say before the Civil 
War, thin coats were applied, while now two heavy 
coats are made to do the duty of three in hiding the 
wood and giving a fair surface. It was no unusual 
thing to find exterior painting in good condition after 
twenty years of exposure and wear. Now, it begins 
to deteriorate in a year. Yet we know of cases where, 
three thin coats being given and the paint well rubbed 
out, as in the old days, at least seven years of wear 
are obtained. 

A white lead manufacturer has published a treat- 
ise on the subject, from which we will quote liberally, 
for we think he has come near the core of the whole 
matter. He claims that enough oil is not used in 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 241 



paint. He cites the case of a master painter who 
mixes his white lead paint and lets it stand 48 hours 
before using, and then he adds another gallon or two 
•of oil to the batch of 100 pounds of lead mixed paint. 
He claims that he has never had a complaint of chalk- 
ing, the extra oil added giving extra durability. To 
quote from our white lead maker's treatise : 

"When too little oil is used the lead particles are 
insufficiently clothed or protected from the weather, 
and having no weather-resisting properties of them- 
selves, they must of necessity become loosened from 
the surface when the insufficient quantity of oil has 
disappeared. 

It is the natural conclusion — that the durability of 
any paint is dependent on providing enough linseed 
oil to thoroughly protect the paint pigments from the 
weather. 

Linseed oil is peculiar inasmuch as all coats of lead, 
although each one may have been thinned with a dif- 
ferent quality of linseed oil, will, shortly after the 
painting is completed, hold together and form one 
compact paint mass — of a general average quantity of 
•oil. The pigment of the coat remains fixed — but the 
oil penetrates and permeates the whole mass by 
capillary attraction until equilibrium is established. 

In other words, if the surface be uniform, the oil 
naturally diffuses itself regularly and in exactly equal 
proportions throughout all the new coats of-paint ap- 
plied to the surface, making practically one heavy, 
solid paint coat. 

Therefore, if the original surface absorbs too large 
a proportion of the oil used in mixing the paint, or 
if any succeeding coat is deficient in oil, the paint mass 
is robbed as a whole, and not each coat separately. 



242 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



And further, if too little oil is used for priming, 
or any other coat, there must of necessity be too little 
linseed oil in the exposed paint surface, and consequent 
chalking. 

Please remember it is that part of the paint mass 
that is directly exposed to the weather, that should, 
and must of necessity, have the requisite, and if it 
were possible, the largest proportion of linseed oil." 

A painter said : "I painted that house when it was 
new, applying three coats outside, and it lasted for 
about seven years. The owner was so well pleased 
with the job that he had me to re-paint it, and while 
I used the same materials as in the first job. and did 
the work just as good, yet he is now complaining of 
the chalking of the lead." The trouble was easily ex- 
plained. When the work was new the priming coat 
was mostly oil, and the two finishing coats contained 
plenty of oil. But, when the job was repainted, two 
rather heavy coats were given in order to make a nice 
job. with the effect that the oil that should have re- 
mained with the last two coats, and more particularly 
the last coat, was sucked out into the old paint, and 
hence the chalking. The same thing occurred with a 
painter who had a church to repaint on the outside. 
In order to fulfil the expectations of the parties giving 
him the job, he put on three heavy coats of paint. 

This also explains why so often a painter who se- 
cures a contract at a low figure gets a lasting effect. 
His materials are the costly item with him, particu- 
larly where he does most of the work, as many small 
contractors do, and hence he saves on lead and thins 
out well with oil, for this saves lead and time, too, 
for he can spread the oil quicker than the lead. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 243 



"Unless the surface to be painted is very dark,-, a 
thin coat, long in oil, and a medium heavy second 
coating, will give just as satisfactory a result, and far 
greater durability, as two very heavy coatings. If the 
surface is very dark, or very porous, three coats are 
necessary, that you may get the necessary hiding 
power without sacrificing the necessary linseed oil." 

"It is strange, yet true, that, with high-class paint- 
ers, those jobs go wrong on which the painter earn- 
estly strives to do his best work, and when, as a rule, 
no price is asked, and the cause is almost invariably 
that in trying to do his best work, he does his worst, 
inasmuch as he puts too much lead value on to his 
work, rather than too much linseed oil value. 

"Linseed oil is cheaper than white lead. Take ioo 
lbs. white lead of best grade ground in pure raw lin- 
seed oil, and which bulks 2 8-10 gals., and 5^ gals, 
of thinners, the whole amounting to 8^ gals, of paint. 
Say the white lead costs $8.00 per 100 lbs., and bulk- 
ing 2 8-10 gals, as stated, the actual cost of a gallon 
of the thick white lead in oil by itself is $2.85, be- 
fore being thinned for use. Therefore, linseed oil, 
even at $1.25 a gallon, costs less than half of the bulk 
cost of thick white lead in oil, and the more oil you 
use the more economical and desirable the paint." 

This is the argument of a large white lead manufac- 
turer, and while it may sound as if he would boost 
oil and put a damper on the use of white lead, yet it 
is clear, or should be. to any one, that what he wants 
to impress upon us is, that white lead will have its 
proper recognition as a paint base if it can be shown 
that chalking is not an inherent fault of the lead. 
He further argues that the fact that there is a chem- 
ical compound formed when white lead and linseed oil 
are mixed, vet the fact has little if anything 1 to do. 



244 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



with its chalking. Here it might be said that some 
chemists say that this chemical action results in soap 
making, something akin to what we see when we add 
lye to fat. Becoming soap, the paint is easily acted 
upon by the weather, and soon chalks. This our white 
lead manufacturer disputes ; not that the soap does 
not occur, but that if it were true, then "the paint 
mass would disintegrate as a whole, where as a matter 
of fact, the paint mass does not disintegrate at all." 

"The only action is, that light, heat, rain, etc., dis- 
integrate the linseed oil of the paint mass, on the 
exposed surface, and the moment the oil is gone, the 
lead becomes 'chalky.' There is nothing to bind it, 
and the above contention is proven, inasmuch as the 
remainder of the paint mass remains absolutely unaf- 
fected. 

Of course, as successive exposures of surface are 
attacked in turn, the linseed oil becomes disintegrated 
gradually, until the oil has entirely disappeared, and 
leaving no binder to the surface to hold the lead, it 
all 'chalks' off in time, but the time required is several 
years if the proper amount of linseed oil has been 
used." 

Is white lead as good as it was years ago? This 
question is usually answered in the negative by paint- 
ers, certainly by "old timers." Yet some say it is 
better now than ever before, the refining of the metal 
lead is more perfectly done, corrosion is exactly the 
same, at least, with Dutch process leads, and new and 
improved machinery and electrical appliances enable 
the corroder to reach a higher physical perfection 
than ever before. I have read somewhere that the 
old-time lead, even the much-vaunted English BB 
lead, always contained a certain percentage of 
barytes, and that is why it was superior to the really 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 245 



pure lead of to-day. I have no means for ascertain- 
ing whether this is true or not. 

Is the linseed oil as good as formerly ? Another 
much-discussed question, but one that we will not 
discuss in this connection. 

Now, coming back to the matter of lead soap. 
White lead and linseed oil form a certain kind of 
soap, as previously stated, but this lead soap is claimed 
by our white lead man to be insoluble in water. If 
this is true, then it is not the kind of soap we are 
familiar with. Indeed, it cannot be soap at all, or, at 
most, has few attributes that are found in common 
with soaps. 

It is also said by some authorities that hydrate of 
lead, which is a component part of all Dutch process 
leads, "eats up'" the oil and causes chalking, but this 
our white lead. man denies, and he adds: 

"As evidenced, note the report of the fence tests, 
proving that oxi-sulphates of lead, made by the heat 
process, and other soft-drying paint pigments, none of 
which contain a particle of lead hydrates, show as 
great, if not greater chalking propensity than the 
hydro-carbonate of lead itself." 

Finally, and to sum up, it is probable at least that 
if we get back to the old-time practice of using plenty 
of oil with our lead, apply thin coats and enough of 
them, getting and using good materials, we shall have 
no further difficulty with our paint made of white lead 
and oil chalking. Of course, there are many factors 
entering into the problem of good painting, such as 
present day lumber, for example, and the possibility 
of bad oil, but. with care and the getting of as good 
materials as we can, our painting will compare very 
favorably with that done two generations aero. 



246 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 




ZINC WHITE 

election. — This is a point which must not 
be overlooked, as there are marked differ- 
ences in the quality of zinc paints, just as 
in other products in the paint trade. 
Among the points which the purchaser 
ought to look to in selecting a zinc paint may be men- 
tioned color, fineness of grinding, opacity, capacity to 
mix readily with thinners. These are all properties 
which can be readily determined and compared by 
careful examination of the sample alongside a pre- 
viously selected standard. Inferior zinc paints will 
always compare unfavorably in regard to one or 
probably several of these points. Thus bad color and 
"grayness" may be masked by the addition of blue, 
a sophistication which can easily be detected. Again, 
inferior grades of oxide zinc are transparent, or in 
other words, possess low opacity. The addition of 
barytes as an adulterant to the paints causes the same 
fault. It should be noted in this connection that cer- 
tain zinc pigments contain barium sulphate as an es- 
sential part of their composition. This material dif- 
fers in its physical properties from the native barytes, 
so that the mere presence of barium sulphate in a 
white zinc paint does not condemn that paint, as can 
be proved by accurately determining the opacity-figure 
of pure sulphide zinc white of a reliable brand, and 
comparing it with that of white lead. To prevent 
all ambiguity on this point, however, it is preferable 
to divide zinc white paints into oxide of zinc paints 
(which should always be absolutely genuine) and sul- 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 247 



phide zinc paints (the pigment in which should contain 
not less than 30 per cent, of true zinc sulphide). 

Fineness of grinding is a point which should al- 
ways be looked closely into by the painter, as some 
paint grinders are very careless on this score. Zinc 
paints are by no means easy to grind with oil, and 
there is occasionally a temptation to gloss over any 
little imperfection in the grinding by the addition of 
pale boiled oil or an artifically prepared thickened lin- 
seed oil. The painter can always detect such dodges 
by thinning the paint out with pure turpentine and 
painting a glass slip with the mixture by means of a 
clean camel hair brush. 

The variations in the ease with which the different 
zinc paints "take the thinners" is remarkable. A 
well-ground sample of zinc white of good quality 
ought to be no more difficult to mix with the thinners 
than good white lead. Occasionally, however, one 
finds a zinc white paint which is stringy and ropy, 
and this is a serious defect. 

The conclusion I have come to, after examination 
of a very large number of samples of zinc paints, is 
that although paint grinders may for reasons of their 
own sometimes employ pale boiled or thickened oils 
in the grinding of white zinc paints, the painter is 
best served when his stiff paint — the base to which he 
has to add his thinners — contains no vehicle but pure, 
refined linseed oil. 

The question of the proper consistency of the stiff 
paint is so well understood on the continent, where 
zinc paints are handled every day by painters, that on 
large contracts architects and engineers are in the 
habit of specifying the exact composition of the stiff 
paint. Thus, a certain large industrial undertaking 
in Belgium using quantities of zinc paints, has its 



248 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

ground zinc white (Blanc de zinc broye) of the fol- 
lowing composition : Oxide of zinc in powder, 666 
parts by weight; linseed oil, 334 parts by weight. 

In another case the stiff zinc paint (oxide of zinc) 
is specified to contain 20 per cent, of linseed oil. Paint 
of this composition is readily mixed with oil or turps. 
It is a great mistake to grind zinc paints too stiff. If 
the paint is too viscuous on the rollers of the grinding 
mill it is readily overheated and burned, and this 
at once ruins the paint. 

Thinning Zinc Paints. — This process is a vital 
one, and deserves special attention from those who 
wish to obtain the most satisfactory results. It is best 
carried out by mixing the thinners and driers together 
first of all, and then adding the mixture to the stiff 
pafnt. By proceeding in this way, uniform results 
are much more likely to be obtained. The first thing 
to do is to fix once and for all the relative proportion 
of oil and turps that should be used for different kinds 
of work. 'The following are proportions which have 
worked out practically and which may be adopted : 

1 
Refined linseed oil. . . 11 pints 

Turpentine 3 pints 

Mixed varnish 1 pint 

No. 1 is suitable for exterior work. The mixing 
varnish should be a good outside varnish. For fin- 
ishing coats, where the maximum of durability is de- 
sired, pale boiled oil may be substituted for refined 
linseed oil, and the proportion of turpentine reduced to 
two pints, one pint, or even less. 

No. 2 indicates a mixing suitable for a glossy fin- 
ish in interior work. Here the mixing varnish should 
be a hard-drying interior varnish. 



2 


3 


2 pints 


4 pints 


4 pints 


24 pints 


1 pint 


1 pint 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 249 

No. 3 is suitable for flatting or undercoat for 
enamel. In this case either a flat mixing varnish or 
gold size should be used. 

There are three practical points worthy of attention 
in connection with the mixing of zinc paints. They 
are: 

( i ) Do not use too large a proportion of turps. 
(This does not, of course, apply to flatting.) 

(2) Keep the paint "round;" the best zinc paints 
are those that are somewhat viscuous. and they brush 
out, as a rule, quite easily. 

(3) Do not try to force the drying unduly. The dry- 
ing of all paints depends on the action of the air on the 
drying oil. Driers are therefore at the best an arti- 
ficial aid to drying. The most durable paints are 
those in which the drying proceeds slowly, naturally 
and regularly. 

Driers for Zinc Paints. — This question is also 
a vital one, and deserves special attention from those 
who wish to obtain the most satisfactory results. 
The old-fashioned paste or patent driers are most de- 
cidedly not the most satisfactory driers for zinc 
paints, and as this question is continually cropping up, 
and painters frequently find that driers are the stum- 
bling block when zinc paints are in question, I may 
be allowed to digress for a moment to indicate why 
paste driers are not, as a rule, successful in zinc paints. 

White lead is itself a "drier," and consequently the 
addition of more drier results in a strong drying ac- 
tion rapidly setting in. When this drying action goes 
too far, as it often does, the oil gets burnt up and 
the paint powders and perishes. This phenomenon is 
often seen in old white lead paint. Now in the case 
of zinc white paints, which are absolutely inert so 



250 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

far as drying action is concerned, the drier (what- 
ever it be) must first be brought into solution in the 
oil before it can exert any drying action. Paste driers 
in which the drying material is mainly in the solid 
state, take some time to dissolve in the oil contained 
in the mixed paint, and there being nothing present 
of a gentle drying nature, like white lead, to start 
the drying off, so to speak, the action takes some time 
to begin. This constitutes a danger, as the ignorant 
man then adds more driers, until there is a huge ex- 
cess of drying matter present, resulting in serious 
damage to the life of the paint. 

The use of liquid driers is preferable. In these 
driers the drying matter is already in the liquid state, 
and is therefore in a condition in which it can much 
more quickly and effectively enable the drying process 
to commence. Further, liquid driers, when of good 
quality and used in strict moderation, contain noth- 
ing injurious to the paint. The true role of a paint 
drier is often misunderstood. It is to start the ab- 
sorption of oxygen by the drying oil, and to keep 
the absorption going regularly and moderately. If 
this is done, a tough, durable film is obtained. Nature 
has been assisted to do her work. If too much drier 
has been used the oil will have been super-oxidized, 
with the result that a brittle, easily-destroyed oil film 
has been produced. 

Mixing and- Application. — To secure the full in- 
trinsic value of zinc oxide paint it should be applied 
exactly as a good painter would do it, namely, in 
two or three or more coats, for it is a pigment that 
does not permit of making one coat do the work of 
two. 

Zinc paint should be mixed rather stout but be rub- 
bed out thin; if mixed thin it will run and not cover 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 251 

properly. Properly mixed, it has been found that 
three coats will cover as much surface as three coats of 
white lead paint, and cover the surface just as well. 

In mixing zinc paint there should be used a suitably 
prepared linseed oil, and should contain very little tur- 
pentine. Being a poor drier, it should be well as- 
sisted with driers. The addition of a little varnish in 
outside zinc paint is advised. 

When used for making a flat or dead finish, it must 
be remembered that zinc white ground in oil contains 
a larger percentage of oil than white lead, as it takes 
up much more. This oil must be removed with 
washes of benzine, in the usual manner; after which 
the pasty residue may be mixed with turpentine and ? 
good flat paint result. Zinc white contains about 20 
per cent, oil in the paste form, while white lead con- 
tains only about eight per cent. 

Some painters advocate zinc for priming coats on 
wood, but this may seriously be combated, white lead 
being in every respect the best pigment material for 
that purpose. 

The priming coat being white lead, then let the 
next two, say, be zinc paint. Or three coats of zinc 
may be used, according to the quality of the work. 
Let each coat be mixed somewhat different from its 
neighbor coat. Do this by varying the quantity of 
oil, etc. This is the rule in all good painting. 

Pale boiled linseed oil is a good medium for thin- 
ning white zinc paints, but boiled oil is always difficult 
of admixture with zinc, when the mixing is done with 
a paddle ; with machinery, as in the paint factory, 
the case is different. Yet if a pale drying oil can 
be used for thinning zinc paint it will be found very 
much better than ordinary raw oil. 



252 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

For many purposes the oxide of zinc as ground al- 
ready contains sufficient oil, and only needs to be 
thinned down to the proper consistency with turpen- 
tine. 

For painting on a non-porous surface, like iron, 
for instance, no oil need be added, and a beautiful 
white enamel surface will ensue, with an egg-shell 
gloss. The 20 per cent, of oil in the zinc paste will 
be quite enough to give this effect. Most of the 
troubles with paint come from bad oil, which is the 
most important factor of the two, oil and base. 

Preparation and Use of Zinc Oxide 

Out of the mass of controversial matter respecting 
the merits of white lead and zinc for exterior paint- 
ing it is well to avoid extremes in either direction. 
A combination of these two important pigments has 
proven its worth, consisting of three parts of pure 
white lead in oil and one part zinc. In this propor- 
tion the zinc holds the lead from chalking' and the lead 
holds the zinc from chipping and Assuring. Mix the 
pigments separately in the proper liquids, and at the 
right consistency pour together and stir until a com- 
plete incorporation of the two bodies is obtained. 
Used in coats, above the priming, this combination 
is rewarding the user with very durable results in 
both eastern and western sections of the country. 

If you buy it ready ground in oil, you will require 
per hundred weight about two gallons of pale boiled 
linseed oil and not more than three-fourths of tur- 
pentine to thin it out to the proper state fit for appli- 
cation. 

"In practice 1 have found that French zinc will 
often overcome many of the troubles caused by the 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 253 



modern mode of plastering. By applying two coats 
of zinc, ground in poppy oil, to the walls, a foundation 
is made for the final coats of lead, which completely 
overcomes the minor troubles caused by the use of 
patent plasters." — Correspondent. 

For the first coat, zinc and all pigments possessing 
great tenacity in their particles, should be avoided, 
for they will surely peel clean to the wood or other 
surface when the oil decays. For after coats it is all 
right. 

Poppy seed oil is largely used in the mixing of zinc 
pigments, but linseed oil is also used, and is better 
than the former, as it is a better drier. 

We have known of painters having trouble mixing 
lead and zinc together, but it was because they did 
not go about it right. If you mix the lead, and then 
try to add the zinc to it, there will be trouble. Try 
mixing the two separately, and then slowly add one to 
the other. 

A good way to mix the two is to "box" them, that 
is to pour alternately one bucket of paint into the 
other. 

Do not mix white zinc paint too thin, which will 
cause it to apparently have no body. Apply rather 
thick and spread out under the brush. 

Zinc white paint for outside use should be mixed 
with pale oil, and be made thick, or heavier than 
white lead and be applied thicker than lead paint, but 
well brushed out. 

If you will mix the zinc, say a day before using it, 
you will find it will work and cover better. 

In using zinc it is well to use a stopping" of putty 
made of the same material. Zinc white putty is made 
by adding finely ground Paris white to the paste zinc. 
It must first be passed through a fine sieve so as to 



254 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



eliminate all grit or lumps, and well kneaded into the 
stiff zinc ground in oil. 

Zinc white being an artificial product its composi- 
tion varies, the best grades approximating 10 per cent, 
zinc oxide, while some of the cheaper products con- 
tain more or less lead compounds, either as sulphates 
or oxides, and possibly sulphate of zinc, which is con- 
sidered harmful, as it is soluble in water, and is liable 
to make the paint streak. Zinc oxide is rarely adul- 
terated. 




THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 255 



MIXING COLORS 

OLOR mixing requires full experience with 
the different pigments employed in paint- 
ing and ''an eye" for color, too, so that 
when any different shade is to be made or 
one shade to be matched with another 
mixing, a perfect shade, tint or color will be obtained. 
The pigments used by the house painter are not many, 
and they differ ?o widely in color that their identifi- 
cation is easy. The list is as follows, taking the pig- 
ments in the order of their most general using : Yel- 
low ochre, burnt umber, raw umber, burnt sienna, 
raw sienna, lampblack, chrome yellow, Vandyke 
brown, Prussian blue, drop black, red, and chrome 
green. 

The expert painter can do without a few of these 
pigments, if necessary. For instance, he can make a 
Vandyke brown from black and burnt umber. Or 
make a green from yellow and blue, any desired 
shade. He may even approximate black by mixing 
certain proportions of red and blue together. But it 
may be said that such expedients are never necessary, 
or very rarely so, though it is well to know how to do 
the thing if ever in a position where it must be done. 
The list of pigments given must be supplemented 
with an explanation. For instance, there are of black, 
drop and lampblack ; of blue, there are Chinese, Prus- 
sian and ultramarine ; of green, chrome, light, me- 
dium and dark; of red, Indian, Venetian, Tuscan and 
turkey. With the reds we may include the vermilions, 
of which there are several kinds, the principal ones 
being English, American and Chinese. The list of 



256 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



vermilion includes also a large number of special 
kinds, each factory putting out its own special brand, 
and these are not worth considering here, being mostly 
used in wagon painting. They are usually made from 
a lead oxide tinted with eosine dye. 

Of yellow there are light, medium, orange, and D. 
and DD. The orange chrome may be classed as a 
red, for its tints are decidedly reddish, or orange, 
which is a combination of red and yellow, the red very 
prominent. Chrome, light shade, is also called lemon 
yellow. 

The expert painter understands the value or color 
possibilities of each of these pigments, and hence 
knows what to use when desiring to produce a cer- 
tain color. His pallette is small, but it answers every 
demand that can be made upon him for his work. He 
knows, for instance, that to produce a drab he must 
use umber and white, or lead color, black and white, 
and so on. All of which will be explained in detail, 
for the benefit of many who are not expert color mix- 
ers — and many a good painter knows next to nothing 
about color mixing, because never having been called 
upon to mix paints or colors, this being particularly 
true of jours. The writer has had a jour, to ask him 
how lead color was produced, and he was a good 
paint brush hand, too. 

In mixing color we cannot use weights or measures, 
as pigments vary so in color or tinting strength, 
hence we must depend upon the eye alone, in connec- 
tion with our knowledge of colors and their values. 
While a good color mixer may do well without the 
slightest knowledge of color science, yet it is advised 
that the painter make himself familiar with at least 
the fundamental principles of that science. It is well 
to know what the primaries are, namely, that they are 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 257 



reel, yellow and blue. That from these all other 
known colors may be produced. That when we mix 
red and yellow we get orange, or blue and yellow, we 
get green, and so on, all of which is explained under 
an appropriate head. Familiar with the primaries, sec- 
ondaries and tertiaries, one may avail himself of an 
infinite variety of colors, tints or shades. I would 
impress upon the learner that he study this color sci- 
ence as laid down in this work, sensible that it will re- 
pay him a thousandfold. Almost anyone may mix a 
pot of paint that will answer its purpose with more 
or less efficiency, but to mix colors is another thing 
entirely. 

In connection with knowing how to handle the col- 
ors, we must also understand the nature or possibili- 
ties and limitations of the bases we employ usually 
in connection with the pigments. For instance, white 
lead must not be mixed with any pigment containing 
sulphur, such, for instance, as quicksilver vermilion 
or lithopone. But zinc white may be used in connec- 
tion with practically any pigment the painter may use. 

It is perfectly neutral or without chemical influence 
on other pigments. This is true, too, of sublimed 
white lead, though perhaps in a less marked degree, 
zinc white being chosen in its stead in most cases as 
being finer. But most of the colors or pigments used 
by the house painter may be safely used with white 
lead or other base. That is, all earth pigments are 
neutral, while the chemically prepared pigments are 
apt to act badly with certain bases, such as white 
lead, for example. All of which will be fully explained 
under a proper head. 

There are some colors called for occasionally that 
are outside of the regular list, and these bother even 
some good mixers, owing to their being out of the 



258 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

usual. We give a few of them in this connection, 
thoug'h all will be found in the list given elsewhere. 

Pullman Color. — This is familiar enough to the' 
car painter, but the house painter has also been called 
upon to use it at times. The name comes from the 
Pullman cars, on which the color was first employed. 
It is a sort of bronze green of more or less depth. 
Each railroad using" this popular color has its own for- 
mula, hence shades vary. But the basis of all Pull- 
man colors is ivory black, this being modified with 
medium shade of chrome yellow, or orang'e chrome 
yellow, or both, and a small amount of Tuscan red. 
In some formulas the best grade of French ochre takes 
the place of the chrome yellow, while the best Italian 
burnt sienna may take the place of the Tuscan red. 
Some samples have been found to contain a percentage 
of white lead, but such a formula would give a ratlier 
flat color. So that it will be seen that the name, Pull- 
man color, is not a fixed or standard formula. 

The colors may be in oil or in japan, as desired. 
First mix the colors together, taking the black first, 
and the following formula will serve as a guide. 
Take 55 parts by weight of best drop black and 20 
parts by weight of chrome yellow, medium shade, 
and 10 parts by weight of the best Tuscan red, mix all 
together to form a paste, which thin, then strain. 
This will give you a very satisfactory Pullman color. 
You can use colors ground in oil or japan, accord- 
ing to whether the paint is to be for coach or house 
painting. The thinning will, of course, be with those 
liquids suitable for the object in view, and oil colors 
will require japan driers, of course. 

Bottle Greex. — Bottle green, for the house 
painter, is made from drop black, or ivory black. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 259 



Chinese blue, or Prussian blue, yellow chrome, me- 
dium shade, and French yellow ochre. We have 
no set formula, pigments varying so in tinting or col- 
oring strength, hence the mixer must use his skill and 
judgment. In the first place there is much miscon- 
ception regarding what a bottle green should be, 
most of such greens being entirely too dark, and many 
mixers and some trade journal editors and writers 
also, confound these two colors, bottle and bronze 
green, whereas, each is as distinct as are chrome green 
and Paris green. The true bottle green is an imita- 
tion of the color of green seen in many cheap bottles. 
The color of green glass in bottles varies, too, of 
course, but in general there is a close approach to a 
certain shade of green observed. A generation ago, 
Gardner, a carriage painter, of New York, and au- 
thor of a few books on painting, g"ave the following 
directions for making a "bottle green or yellow lake 
green," as he termed it. He describes it as being "a 
very useful and at this time a very fashionable color 
for gears or bodies." First, prepare a perfectly solid 
and smooth ground and coat it with a paint made 
from lemon chrome yellow and black, the tone being 
that of green glass bottle. Japan colors are, of 
course, used. The bottle green finish is now made 
from Prussian blue, tinged with Dutch pink, until you 
get the true bottle green glass color. Remember that 
this formula is for vehicle work, though it may also be 
used for store or other front door work. One coat of 
color on a properly prepared ground should be enough. 
Now mix some yellow lake with hard-drying body 
varnish and run it through the hand mill. Next add 
about two tablespoonfuls of the Dutch pink color to 
each pint of the yellow lake glazing color, and, when 
the color on the job is dry, dust off and lay the yel- 



260 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



low lake in the same manner as if it was color-and- 
varnish. This gives a deep, rich bottle green, one 
"that can be made in no other way." Care should be 
taken that no yellow, such as lemon or orange chrome, 
be mixed with the Dutch pink or the yellow lake, but 
a drop of red such as vermilion or carmine, will 
improve it by giving it a warmer hue. 

The tone of the color may be changed so as to 
be suitable for both body and gears. By simply glaz- 
ing the color with pure yellow lake the tone will be 
more yellow ; by adding a drop or two of blue to the 
glazing color, a bluish-green will result; while a little 
vermilion and blue will give an olive hue. It should 
be added that the yellow lake is to be thinned out 
with turpentine. 

Regarding Dutch pink, a very unfamiliar pigment 
with the house painter, it may be explained that it 
is not a pink at all, but it is rather on the yellow order. 
Genuine Dutch pink is of animal origin, but there is 
a pigment of the same name, and ordinarily used, 
of the same color, but in all other respects different, 
and not reliable. Dutch pink should not be used with 
white lead, but alone or mixed with certain other 
pigments, it is a durable color. Like Vandyke brown, 
another good glazing color, Dutch pink is useful for 
producing Spanish leather effects by glazing and scum- 
bling. 

Bronze Green. — This is not an uncommon color 
with painters, indeed, it is one of the very common 
ones, yet it is listed here in order to set the painter 
right on the matter of mixing names, many thinking 
bottle green and bronze green practically the same 
thing. Bottle green should contain blue, while bronze 
green should contain none, or at most a very little ; 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 261 



none would be better. To make a typical bronze 
green take one pound of orange chrome yellow, two 
pounds of medium chrome green, and nine pounds of 
lampblack, all in oil. Drop black may be used in 
place of the lampblack if desired, though the result 
will not be just the same, as the two blacks have dif- 
ferent coloring properties. Also, for a lighter shade of 
bronze green use the medium chrome yellow, the or- 
ange chrome making a somewhat deeper color, owing 
to its deeper and red hue. 

Bronze yellow may be made with orange chrome, 
medium chrome yellow, and a little burnt umber. Or 
with white, chrome medium anl raw umber. But all 
of this will be found under the head of Color For- 
mulas, which see. 

COLOR FORMULAS 

Division of Reds 

Armenian Red. — Venetian red 2 parts, yellow ochre 
1 part. 

Ashes of Roses. — Tinge pink slightly with drop 
black. 

Brick. — Cream. White lead 400 parts, yellow 
ochre 32 parts, raw umber 1 part. 

Brick. — Red. White lead 4 parts, Venetian red 2 
parts, Indian red 1 part. 

Brick. — Pressed or Philadelphia. White lead 4 
parts, Venetian red 2 parts, Indian red 1 part. 

Brick. — Dark. Add blue to red brick. Any brick 
shade, from salmon or soft fillers, to the finest pressed, 
dark or light, may be made by varying the propor- 
tions given, adding ochre for the salmon color brick. 

Carnation. — White lead 12 parts, scarlet lake 1 part. 
Or. zinc white 16 parts, scarlet lake 1 part. 



262 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



Cherry Red. — English vermilion 2 parts, carmine 
No. 40 1 part. 

Coral Pink. — White lead 10 parts, vermilion 3 
parts, orange chrome yellow 2 parts. 

Damask Red. — Rose madder or French carmine 
and a very little scarlet lake or vermilion. 

Geranium Pink. — Zinc white 60 parts, geranium 
lake 1 part. 

Imperial Orange Red. — Solferino lake 4 parts, yel- 
low lake 1 part. 

Moorish Red. — Aniline vermilion 3 parts, rose pink 

1 part. 

Mexican Red. — Venetian red 4 parts, red lead 1 
part. 

Old Pink. — White, rose lake and raw umber. 

Old Red. — Tuscan red, drop black and a drop of 
white. 

Old Rose. — Tuscan red and drop black, with very 
little white. Or, rose madder or carmine, white, and 
a drop of black. 

Opaque Crimson. — Carmine 2 parts, English ver- 
milion 1 part. 

Orange Vermilion. — Orange mineral. 

Oriental Red. — Indian red 2 parts, red lead 1 part. 

Peach Blossom. — Tint with King's yellow (orpi- 
ment, poisonous). 

Pink, Opera. — White 50 parts, vermilion 5 parts, 
medium chrome green 1 part. 

Pink, Opaque. — Equal parts of white lead and 
orange mineral. 

Pink, Royal. — Zinc white 2 parts, carmine lake 1 
part. 

Pink, Shell. — White 50 parts. English vermilion 

2 parts, orange chrome 1 part, burnt sienna 1 part. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 263 



Pompeian Red. — Dark Indian red and red lake, 
or, a good deep Tuscan red. 

Rose. — Tint white with carmine. 

Rose, Carnation. — Zinc white 8 parts, rose madder 
i part. 

Rose, Tint. — White lead 16 parts, English rose 
pink i part; or, white 16 parts, Munich lake I part. 

Rose, Pale Tint. — Zinc white 32 parts, Florentine 
lake 1 part. 

Rose, Deep Tint. — Zinc white 8 parts, Victoria lake 
1 part. 

Rose, Royal Tint. — White 16 parts, English rose 
lake 1 part. 

Scarlet Tint, Deep. — Vermilion 8 parts, carmine 
1 part, zinc white 1 part. 

Turkish Crescent Red. — Indian red 1 part, aniline 
vermilion 1 part, rose pink 1 part. 

Tuscan Red. — Indian red 8 parts, rose pink 1 part. 

Vermilion, Rich. — 'English vermilion 3 parts, or- 
ange mineral 1 part. 

Division of Blues 

Azure Blue. — Zinc white 1 part, cobalt or ultra- 
marine blue, 1-40 part. 

Electric Blue. — Mix Chinese and ultramarine blues 
and add a touch of red. 

Gothic Blue. — Indigo blue or Chinese blue, white, 
and a little drop black. 

Old Blue. — White, Prussian blue and a little yel- 
low. 

Peacock Blue. — White 90 parts, light chrome green 
5 parts, ultramarine blue 4 parts, drop black 1 part. 

Purple, Deep Tint. — White 3 parts, ultramarine 
blue 1 part, rose pink 1 part. 



264 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



Purple Slate. — White 60 parts, ultramarine blue 3 
parts, Indian red 1 part. 

Purple, Regal. — White 4 parts, cobalt blue 2 parts, 
carmine 1 part. 

Purple. — Zinc 4 parts, ultramarine blue 2 parts, 
■carmine 1 part. 

Purple, Transparent. — Cobalt blue or ultramarine 
blue 1 part, carmine No. 40 1 part. 

Sky Blue. — White 90 parts, Prussian blue, 1 part. 

Violet, Transparent. — Ultramarine blue 4 parts, or- 
ange mineral 1 part. 

Violet, Tint. — White 6 parts, ultramarine blue 3 
parts, English rose lake 3 parts, ivory drop black 1 
part. 

Violet, White. — White, vermilion, Prussian blue and 
lake. Or, carmine, ultramarine blue, and a trifle of 
drop black. 

Division of Greens 

Absinthe Green. — Tint white with Paris green. 

Bottle Green, Oil Color. — French yellow ochre, me- 
dium chrome yellow, Prussian blue and drop black. 
Match color of green bottle glass. 

Bottle Green, for Coach or Varnished Work. — 
Tinge Prussian blue with Dutch pink, and glaze with 
yellow lake. 

Brilliant Green. — White and emerald green. 

Electric Green. — Add some electric blue to chrome 
yellow, medium shade. 

Invisible Green. — Add a very little medium chrome 
yellow to lampblack or drop black. 

Moss Green. — Mix Prussian blue, medium chrome 
yellow, raw umber and white. Or, chrome yellow, 
raw umber and white with raw umber and white. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 265 



Olive Green, Light. — White 70 parts, ochre 15 
parts, medium chrome yellow 5 parts, raw umber 6 
parts, drop black 4 parts. 

Olive Green. — -Yellow ochre and lampblack. 

Parrot Green. — Ultramarine blue, Dutch pink, and 
lemon chrome yellow. 

Silk Green. — Mix together Prussian blue and lemon 
chrome yellow, and French yellow lake. As this lake 
is rather expensive, it may be replaced by Dutch pink. 

Subdued Green. — Mix Prussian blue and lemon 
chrome and add a little raw umber and white to ob- 
tain the right shade. Or, add raw umber and white 
to medium chrome green. 

Tea Green. — Raw umber, chrome green and ochre. 

Willow Green. — Verdigris and white. 

Division of Yellows 

Acorn Yellow. — Equal parts of . white lead and raw 
sienna. 

Amber Yellow. — Medium chrome yellow 8 parts,, 
burnt umber 5 parts, burnt sienna, 3 parts. 

Aurora. — Medium chrome yellow 1 part, English 
vermilion 1-10 part. 

Bronze Yellow. — White lead 3 parts, medium 
chrome yellow 5 parts, raw umber 1 part. 

Canary. — White lead 80 parts, lemon chrome yellow 
1 part. 

Canary Yellow. — White lead 6 parts, lemon chrome 
yellow 1 part. 

Cane. — Tint white lead with yellow ochre and 
modify a little with burnt umber. 

Car Body Yellow. — Medium chrome yellow 1 part, 
yellow ochre 1 part. 

Colonial Yellow. — White lead 95 parts, yellow 
ochre 3 parts, lemon chrome yellow 2 parts. 



266 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



Cream. — White lead 98 parts, yellow ochre, im- 
parts, lemon chrome yellow ^ part. 

Golden Tint. — White lead 30 parts, yellow ochre 
5 parts, vermillion 1 part. 

Golden Yellow. — Lemon chrome yellow 10 parts, 
orange chrome yellow 2 parts, white lead 5 parts. 

Ivory. — White lead 98 parts, raw sienna 1 part, 
lemon chrome yellow 1 part. 

Ivory IV kite.— A very clear but more expensive 
ivory white may be made from French yellow lake 
2 parts, raw Italian sienna 1 part, and 97 parts zinc 
white. 

Old Ivory. — White lead tinted with raw sienna. 

Jonquil. — Tint white lead with medium chrome yel- 
low. 

Lemon Color. — Use lemon chrome yellow. 

Limestone Tint. — Tint 18 parts white lead with 
golden ochre 1 part. 

Naples Yellow. — White lead 160 parts, golden 
ochre 9 parts, orange chrome yellow 1 part. 

Orange, Pale. — White lead 6 parts, orange chrome 
yellow 1 part. 

Orange, Red. — Deep orange chrome yellow. 

Orange. — Orange chrome yellow, or medium 
chrome yellow, tinted with red. 

Orange, Tint. — Equal parts of white and orange 
chrome yellow. 

Primrose. — Medium chrome yellow. 

Russet Yellow. — Orange chrome, white, and burnt 
sienna. 

Straw. — White lead 90 parts, yellow ochre 7 parts, 
medium chrome yellow 3 parts ; or, white 8 parts, me- 
dium chrome 1 part. 

Sulphur Yellow. — Equal parts of white lead and 
lemon chrome yellow. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 267 

Yellow, Transparent. — Yellow lake makes the best. 
Dutch pink for a cheap color. Gamboge makes a 
bright color ; or, zinc white 8 parts, yellow lake i part. 

Yellow, Brass. — White lead 40 parts, lemon 
chrome yellow 12 parts, burnt umber 1 part. 

Yellow, Rich. — 'White lead 6 parts, medium chrome 
yellow 1 part. 

Yellow, Topaz. — White 4 parts, yellow lake 1 part. 

Yellow Flesh Tint. — White 80 parts, light cadmium 
yellow 1 part. 

Division of Buffs 

Buff. — White lead 2 parts, yellow ochre 1 part. 

Buff, Deep. — Tint yellow ochre with Venetian red. 

Buff, Light. — Reduce yellow ochre with white. 

Buff, Medium. — -Add some white to ochre and tint 
with a little burnt sienna. 

Buff, Warm. — Tint yellow ochre with Indian red. 

Buff, Dull.' — Add burnt umber to buff. 

Buff, Transparent. — Zinc white 3 parts, golden 
ochre 1 part. 

Buff, Rich. — White lead 2 parts, yellow ochre 1 
part; or, tint orange yellow with raw sienna. 

Buff, Stone. — Equal parts of white lead and yellow 
ochre. 

Buff, Brilliant. — Use golden ochre. 

Various — Unclassified 

Amber. — Add a very little white to yellow lake; or, 
red lake and chrome yellow ; or, add a little chrome 
yellow to carmine. 

Antique Brass. — White lead 4 parts, medium 
chrome yellow 3 parts, Vandyke brown, 1 part. 



268 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

Auburn. — Indian red, drop black and Venetian red. 

Bay. — Burnt timber, Dutch pink, and Venetian red. 

Beaver. — Drop black and burnt umber. 

Bismarck Brozvn. — Burnt umber, Dutch pink, and 
red lake. 

Brass Shade. — Yellow ochre 4 parts, Vandyke 
brown 1 part. 

Brozvn. — Red and black. 

Brozvn Pink. — White lead 16 parts. Chatemuc lake 
14 parts, Vandyke brown 1 part. 

Burgundy. — Asphaltum with good red lake. 

Cafe au Lait. — Coffee and cream. White, burnt 
umber and medium chrome yellow. 

Chestnut. — Tone medium chrome yellow with red 
and black. Or, tone yellow ochre with black and burnt 
umber. 

Chocolate. — 'White and burnt umber with a little 
chrome yellow. Or, tone chrome yellow with red and 
black. 

Citrine. — White lead 75 parts, yellow ochre 15 
parts, burnt sienna 4 parts, drop black 6 parts. 

Citron. — Tint orange chrome yellow with chrome 
green. 

Citron Yellow. — White lead 16 parts, lemon chrome 
12 parts, emerald green 1 part. 

Claret. — Tinge any good purple lake or carmine 
with ultramarine blue. Or, tinge English purple lake 
with carmine. 

Claret. — Tinge English purple lake with carmine. 

Clay Drab. — Tint white lead with raw umber and 
raw sienna, with a touch of blue or green, also. 

Copper Color. — White lead 20 parts, medium 
chrome yellow 4 parts, Venetian red 3 parts, raw um- 
ber 1 part. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 269 



Dove.— White tinted with vermilion, Prussian blue, 
and medium chrome yellow. 

Dove Wing. — White, ultramarine, and drop black, 
with a tinge of red lake. 

Drab. — White lead 88 parts, yellow ochre 10 parts, 
lampblack 2 parts. 

Drab, Reddish. — White lead 90 parts, yellow ochre 
8 parts, burnt umber 2 parts. 

Egyptian Brown. — Asphaltum for glazing or for 
solid work; ivory black and burnt umber. 

Electric Turquoise. — White, electric green and elec- 
tric blue. 

Fawn.— White lead 94 parts, yellow ochre 5 parts, 
burt umber 1 part. 

Fawn Pink. — White lead 25 parts, burnt sienna 3 
parts; or, white, drop black or raw umber, vermilion 
and chrome yellow. 

Flax Tint. — White lead 100 parts, yellow ochre 60 
parts, lampblack 1 part. 

Flesh Color. — White zinc 95 parts, English ver- 
milion 3 parts, lemon chrome yellow 2 parts. 

Flesh Ochre. — Yellow ochre 31 parts, red lead 1 
part. 

Flesh Tint. — White lead 120 parts, yellow ochre 
2 parts, Venetian red 1 part. 

Freestone. — White lead 10 parts, yellow ochre 5 
parts, Venetian red 1 part, lampblack 4- part. Free- 
stone is a reddish-drab color. 

Gold. — White, yellow, red and raw umber. Or, 
white, lemon, yellow and burnt sienna. Or. tinge yel- 
low ochre with red and blue. 

Golden Orange. — Orange mineral 2 parts, golden 
ochre 1 part. 

Greenstone. — White lead 90 parts, medium chrome 
green 3 parts, raw umber 3 parts. 



270 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

Gray. — White tinged with ultramarine blue, or lake, 
or burnt sienna and indigo. Or, with vegetable black 
or lake, or with Prussian blue and Indian red. 

Hay Tint. — White lead 45 parts, golden ochre 15 
parts, medium chrome green 2 parts. 

Heliotrope. — Carmine lake and white. 

Isabella. — Medium chrome yellow, burnt umber and 
Venetian red. 

Lavendar. — Zinc white 16 parts, mauve lake 1 part, 
rose madder 2 parts. 

Lavendar Tint. — Zinc white 80 parts, ultramarine 
blue 3 parts, carmine 1 part; or, white lead 48 parts, 
ultramarine blue 1 part, rose pink 1 part. 

Lead Color. — White lead 98 parts, lampblack 2 
parts. 

Leather. — Tone down burnt umber and burnt 
sienna with white lead. 

Leather, Yellow. — White lead 20 parts, golden 
ochre 2 parts, burt sienna 1 part. 

Lilac. — White lead 96 parts, Tuscan red 3 parts, 
ultramarine blue 1 part ; or, vermilion in place of Tus- 
can red. 

Lilac, American. — White, red madder lake, and ul- 
tramarine blue. 

Lilac, English. — White lake and Bremen blue. 

Lilac, French. — White, carmine and Prussian blue. 

Lilac, Rich. — Zinc white 64 parts, mauve lake 1 part, 
madder lake 1 part. 

Lilac, Tint. — Zinc white 80 parts, ultramarine blue 
1 part, carmine 40, 1 part. 

Lilac, Cheap Tint. — White lead 40 parts, rose pink 
1 part. 

Lilac, Purple Tint. — Zinc white 16 parts, cobalt 
blue 1 part, carmine lake 1 part. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 271 



Limestone. — White, ochre, lampblack and Indian 
red. 

Mahogany. — Golden ochre 5 parts,Venetian red 2 
parts. 

Maroon. — Carmine, medium chrome yellow, and 
burnt umber. Or, carmine or crimson lake and burnt 
umber. 

Mauve. — Rose madder, ultramarine blue and white. 

Mauve, Tint. — Zinc white 12 parts, cobalt blue 4 
parts, carmine lake 1 part. 

Morello. — Rose pink with a very little drop black 
and white. 

Mulberry Red. — Yellow ochre, burnt sienna and 
white. 

Old Gold. — White lead 10 parts, golden ochre 1 
part, raw umber 1 part. 

Olive, Golden Russet. — Lemon chrome yellow and 
light Venetian red or burnt sienna. 

Olive, Drab. — White lead 75 parts, raw umber 13 
parts, medium chrome green 7 parts, drop black 5 
parts. 

Olive Ochre. — French yellow ochre 7 parts, raw 
umber 1 part. 

Orange Ochre. — Yellow ochre 7 parts, Venetian red 
1 part. 

Peach. — Tint white with ochre, vermilion and pur- 
ple-brown. 

Pearl. — White, vermilion, Prussian blue, tone with 
drop black. 

Pearl Drab. — White, ultramarine blue, drop black, 
Venetian red, and yellow ochre. 

Pearl Gray. — White lead 98 parts, drop black i| 
parts, Tuscan red \ part. 

Portland Stone. — Raw umber, yellow ochre, and 
white lead. 



272 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



Plum. — White, Prussian blue, and Venetian red. 
Or, white ultramarine blue, red lake or carmine, and 
a very little drop black. 

Puce. — Vandyke brown or burnt umber and drop 
black, with a very little yellow or ochre. 

Roan. — Ivory black, red, and a little white. 

Roman Ochre. — -Yellow ochre 15 parts, burnt um- 
ber 1 part. 

Russet. — Mix orange and purple. Or, red, blue 
and yellow. One of the tertiary colors. 

Russet, Pure. — Orange chrome yellow 10 parts, 
medium chrome yellow green 1 part. 

Shrimp. — White, raw sienna, with a very little ver- 
milion. 

Silver Gray. — White lead 97 parts, yellow ochre 2 
parts,, lampblack 1 part. 

Sorrel. — Orange chrome yellow with a very little 
Venetian red; or, vermilion and yellow ochre. 

Silver. — 'White, indigo and lampblack. 

Salmon. — White 36 parts, golden ochre 4 parts, 
English vermilion 1 part; or, white 88 parts, yellow 
ochre 8 parts, medium chrome yellow 2 parts, Vene- 
tian red 2 parts. 

Salmon Tint. — White 60 parts, vermilion 4 parts, 
lemon chrome yellow 1 part. 

Sandstone. — White, medium chrome yellow, and 
Indian red. 

Slate. — Tone white with red, and darken with drop 
black and blue. 

Snuff. — Yellow ochre and Venetian red. Or, 
chrome yellow, burnt sienna and Venetian red. 

Spruce- — White 80 parts, yellow ochre 10 parts, 
medium chrome yellow 6 parts, bright Venetian red 4 
parts. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 273 



Stone. — White, yellow ochre, burnt umber. Or, 
raw sienna, burnt umber and white. 

Tan. — White 90 parts, bright Venetian red 7 parts, 
medium chrome yellow 2 parts, lampblack 1 part. 

Terra Cotta. — White 2 parts, golden ochre 1 part, 
burnt sienna 2 parts ; or, white 85 parts, burnt sienna 
15 parts. 

Terra Cotta, Light. — Three parts white, 1 part raw 
sienna. 

Terra Cotta, Red. — Equal parts of white lead and 
burnt sienna. 

Terra Cotta, Tint. — White lead 20 parts, burnt 
sienna 1 part. 

Tuscan Brown. — Tuscan red, chrome yellow and 
drop black. 

Vandyke Drab. — Vandyke brown, white lead, yel- 
low ochre and drop black. 

Vellum. — Tint white with strongly boiled linseed 
oil. 

Wine Color. — Tinge purple lake with blue. 

This is by no means a complete list of colors used 
by painters, though a very small proportion of those 
given are ever used by ordinarv house painters. The 
list might have been greatly extended and even then 
not contain all the so-called colors that are in use. 
Further, there may be some of the more familiar col- 
ors omitted, though this is not so probable. At any 
rate, the list will be found sufficiently full to meet 
all ordinary wants of house painters, if not, indeed, 
of interior decorators. Some of the colors listed, it 
may be noted in passing, are factory or color card 
names, but of those of this kind unlisted here, their 
name may be said to be legion. Also there seems to 
be no uniformity of color nomenclature with our 



274 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



color and paint makers, and many names of colors are 
certainly arbitrary or even entirely wrong. In mak- 
ing up this list I have endeavored to group colors un- 
der appropriate headings as much as possible, so that 
it will be easier to find any desired color, though I 
must confess that I have not hewed exactly to the 
line in this regard; I may have placed colors under 
the wrong grouping, a fact due to the difficulty of de- 
termining just what class the color in question may 
have belong'ed to. But if any desired color formula 
is not found where you are led to suppose it to be, 
search elsewhere on the list until it is found. 

It is to be remembered that in all cases excepting 
where otherwise stated, all pigments mentioned in 
these formulas are to be of the best grade. Thus, 
ochre means French yellow ochre, sienna best Italian 
sienna, and not the American or other inferior sienna. 

In most cases proportions are given, but they are 
mostly approximate only, as it is impossible to give 
exact proportions, shade and strength of even the best 
pigments varying. This will not appear so strange 
when we consider that the earth colors, for instance, 
are from Nature's storehouse, dug from the earth, 
though even the chemically prepared pigments vary, 
for no two color makers may use the same process 
or formula. Take the best colors made by the color 
maker, compare them for color, tinting strength and 
fineness, and you will see a very great difference in 
many cases, and some difference in all cases. Nay, 
even the one manufacturer may put out colors that 
vary, for his purchase of the raw materials may vary. 
He would like to maintain a standard, but finds it im- 
possible to do so. Hence in taking the formulas given 
in this list, the painter must be governed by his 
knowledge of colors and mix according: to his skill. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 275 

In giving a formula for a color it is usual to name 
the most important ingredient first, the one next in 
importance following, and so on through the formula. 
The first one named will usually be the base. Thus, 
white, red, yellow. White is the base, and is to be 
toned or tinted with the red, the mix then being toned 
with the yellow. 

Color Formulas 

Apple Green. — White lead 96 lbs., light chrome 
green 4 lbs. 

Buff. — White lead 80 lbs., French ochre 20 lbs. 

Colonial Yellozv. — White lead 95 lbs., French ochre 
3 lbs., lemon chrome yellow 2 lbs. 

Citrine. — W'hite lead 75 lbs., French ochre 15 lbs., 
burnt sienna 4 lbs., drop black 6 lbs. 

Cream. — White lead 98 lbs., French ochre 1^ lbs., 
lemon chrome yellow -| lb. 

Drab. — White lead 88 lbs., French ochre 10 lbs., 
lampblack 2 lbs. 

Fazvn. — 'White lead 94 lbs., French ochre 5 lbs., 
burnt Turkey umber 1 lb. 

Flesh Color. — White lead 95 lbs., vermilion 3 lbs., 
lemon chrome yellow 2 lbs. 

Green Stone.— \\ r h'\tt lead 94 lbs., medium chrome 
green 3 lbs., raw Turkey umber 3 lbs. 

Ivory. — White lead 98 lbs., raw sienna 1 lb., lemon 
chrome yellow 1 lb. 

Lead Color. — White 98 lbs., lampblack 2 lbs. 

Lilac. — White lead 96 lbs., Tuscan red 3 lbs., ul- 
tramarine blue 1 lb. 

Light Olive. — White lead 70 lbs., French ochre 15 
lbs., medium chrome yellow 5 lbs., raw umber 6 lbs., 
drop black 4 lbs. 



276 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



Olive Drab. — White lead 75 lbs., raw umber 13 lbs., 
medium chrome green 7 lbs., drop black 5 lbs. 

Peacock Blue. — White lead 90 lbs., light chrome 
green 5 lbs., ultramarine blue 4 lbs., drop black 1 lb. 

Pearl Gray. — White lead 98 lbs., drop black i| lbs., 
Tuscan red h lb. 



Table of Color Mixing 

Pale Tints 

Buff. — White, ochre and burnt sienna. 

Blue. — White, and ultramarine blue. 

Cream. — White tinted with ochre or medium 
chrome yellow. 

Drab. — White tinted with raw or burnt umber. 

Fawn. — White tinted with raw sienna and ver- 
milion. 

Grey. — White tinted with ultramarine, blue or lake. 

Grey. — White tinted with burnt sienna and indigo. 

Grey. — White with vegetable black or lake. 

Grey. — White tinted with Prussian blue and Indian 
red. 

Lilac. — White tinted with vermilion and ultra- 
marine blue. 

Lavendar. — White tinted with Prussian blue and 
lake. 

Pink. — White tinted with crimson lake or rose pink. 

Pink. — White tinted with vermilion or Indian red. 

Peach. — White tinted with vermilion, ochre and 
purple brown. 

Salmon. — White tinted with vermilion and ochre. 

Stone. — White tinted with ochre and raw umber. 

Straw. — White tinted with light chrome yellow or 
Dutch pink. 



the expert house painter 277 

Deep Tints 

Brown. — White, Prussian blue and Venetian red. 

Brown. — White, purple brown and lake. 

Brozvn. — Same with some addition of vegetable 
black. 

Brown. — White, indigo, ochre and vermilion. 

Chocolate. — White, lake, purple brown and vege- 
table black. 

Green. — White, ochre and indigo. 

Green. — White raw sienna and Prussian blue. 

Green. — White, chrome yellow and Prussian, blue. 

Lead Color. — White and black. 

Orange. — White, orange yellow and lake. 

Orange. — White, Dutch pink and lake. 

Violet. — White, vermilion, Prussian blue and lake. 
Self-colors 

Sage Green. — White, Antwerp blue and ochre. 

Pea Green. — White and Brunswick green. 

Duck Egg Green. — White, ultramarine blue and 
light chrome yellow. 

Blue. — White and Antwerp blue, or white and in- 
digo blue. 

Purple — White, ultramarine blue and lake. 

Reddish Drab. — White lead 90 lbs., French ochre 8 
lbs., burnt umber 2 lbs. 

Sage Green. — White lead 92 lbs., medium chrome 
green 5 lbs., raw umber 3 lbs. 

Salmon. — White lead 88 lbs., French ochre 8 lbs., 
medium chrome yellow 2 lbs., bright Venetian red 2 
lbs. 

Silver Gray. — White lead 97 lbs., French ochre 2 
lbs., lampblack 1 lb. 

Sky Blue. — White lead 99 lbs., Prussian blue 1 lb. 

Straw. — White lead 90 lbs., French ochre 7 lbs:, 
medium chrome yellow 3 lbs. 



278 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



Spruce, — Whiio load 80 lbs., French ochre 10 lbs.. 
medium chrome yellow 6 lbs., bright Venetian red 

4 lbs. 

Tan, — White lead 00 lbs., bright Venetian red 7 

lbs., medium chrome yellow J lbs., lampblack 1 lb. 

Terra Cotta. — White lead 85 lbs., burnt sienna It 
lbs. 

Paint and Color Formulas 

Greens for Common Uses, — Ultramarine blue and 
yellow ochre. Black and yellow ochre. Black and 
chrome yellow. Hiese make quite permanent paints 
and the cheaper pigments may be used in some cases, 
resulting' in a saving in cost. 

Browns for Common Uses. — Black and orange 
chrome yellow. Black, orange, chrome and Venetian 
red. Yellow ochre and Indian red. Chrome yellow 
and Indian red. 

Rich Bottle Croon. — -Yellow ochre, black japan. 
Prussian blue. 

Rich, Warm, Sepia Color. — Black, orange, chrome, 
and a touch o\ vermilion. 

For Ornamental Cast Iron Fence Work. — Ground 
color oi blue, made from white and Prussian blue. 
Finish with black japan and Prussian bine, with some 
powdered aluminum in it. 

Paint the ground with emerald or medium chrome 
green, and glaze with ultramarine blue. 

Ground in yellow colors and white mixed. Finish 
with chrome yellow and burnt sienna with some gold 
bronze powder over it. 

Rich Bronze Green, — True bronze greens should be 
made from orange chrome yellow, drop or ivory black, 
and a small portion of burnt Italian sienna. Tt should. 
when painted, show a bronze luster in the sunlight. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 279 



However, times have changed somewhat, and the 
trend of the times is to have bronze greens decidedly 
green, very near the tone of bottle green, and to 
make a good, sharp bronze green of the most favored 
tone is to use a good commercial brand of chrome 
green, drop black and burnt Turkey umber or burnt 
Italian sienna, all ground fine in oil, selecting the 
proper shade of chrome green to make either a light 
or dark shade. The umber or sienna can be omitted, 
but black is an essential part of bronze and bottle 
greens. Lampblack, however, imparts a certain dull- 
ness to these greens, and gasblack makes them too 
brownish in tone. In mixing these composite greens 
a very good portion of a good, strong drying japan 
must be added, as drop or ivory blacks dry very poorly. 

Hints for the Color Mixer Concerning Pigments 

White. — Zinc white, being a natural pigment may 
safely be used with any color. Nor has it any chem- 
ical effect on linseed oil or other paint liquid. White 
lead : any pigment containing sulphur, such as Para 
reds, vermilion, ultramarine blue (there is a specially 
prepared ultramarine blue that lead will not affect), 
and Dutch pink, cannot be used with white lead safely. 
Nor can lithopone. Sublimated lead : it is nearly as 
neutral as zinc white. 

Black. — Lamp black and drop black may safely be 
mixed with any other pigment. 

Red. — Indian red and Venetian red are both ex- 
tremely durable colors, and may safely be mixed with 
other pigments or bases. This assuming they have 
not been tinted with aniline. Vermilion, imitation or 
genuine, are little used for tinting. They cannot 
safely be used with white lead or sulphur based pig- 



280 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



ments. Para reds cannot be used with white lead, but 
are safe with zinc and lithopone. 

Blue. — Prussian and Chinese blue are identical as 
to composition, but differ in hue, the first being of a 
purple, and the second one being of a brilliant brow- 
nish cast. Both can be safely used with any base or 
color. Chinese blue and bright yellow make a very 
brilliant green. Ultramarine blue will turn grey if 
mixed with any lead pigment. Cobalt blue, genuine 
or imitation, the latter simply ultramarine blue of a 
light tone, may be used with zinc, and are mainly 
used in water colors for interior decoration. 

Yellozv. — Chrome yellow is made on a lead base, 
hence is not safe with ultramarine blues, Para reds, 
lithopone or other sulphur base colors. Zinc yellow is 
safe with sulphur base colors and bases. It has less 
strength for tinting than the chrome yellows. 

Green. — Few greens are permanent. Chromium 
green is permanent but high priced, and not much used 
by painters, being poor of color. The copper greens 
are more or less permanent, but very poisonous and 
have little tinting strength. Also they are costly. 
Zinc green is permanent, can be used safely with any 
other color, but has little tinting power. Permanent 
greens may be made by mixing ultramarine and zinc 
yellow, or with yellow ochre, but such greens are not 
very brilliant and cannot safely be used with lead col- 
ors. Chrome green made by mixing Chinese blue and 
chrome yellow, or by a chemical process, at the fac- 
tory, are not permanent, nor should they be used 
with lithopone. 

Vandyke Brown. — This pigment is similar to coal, 
being of a vegetable origin. It is a permanent pig- 
ment, but coarse and transparent, and not suited to 
tinting or other form of paint. It is simply a good 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 281 



glaze color and staining pigment, useful in graining, 
particularly. 

Earth Colors, or Natural Oxides. — These will in- 
clude the siennas, ochres, umbers, metallics or iroa 
oxides. Venetian reds, Indian reds. If not doctored 
with other substances, such as aniline with Indian red, 
or chrome yellow with ochre, these pigments are ab- 
solutely permanent, holding their integrity until the 
oil goes. 




282 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



LINSEED OIL 

INSEED OIL is obtained from the seed of 
the flax plant. In the early stag'es of the 
industry the seed was crushed and ground 
to a pulp, then pressed and the oil ex- 
tracted at ordinary temperatures. This 
gave an oil that contained very little foots, was quite 
light in color, and was of excellent quality for imme- 
diate use. The percentage of oil extracted, how- 
ever, was not very high, so> that at the present time 
no cold-pressed oil is made, but the seed after being 
ground, is cooked, or "tempered," with steam, which 
breaks up the plant cells and allows of more complete 
extraction of the oil. This hot-pressed oil as it 
comes from the presses is not fit for most commercial 
uses, as it contains considerable water and gummy 
substances. It is, therefore, filtered and stored in 
tanks and finally submitted to various processes, 
which remove the harmful ingredients and at the 
same time improve and bring out the special quali- 
ties most desired in the various kinds of paint and 
varnish oils on the market. The quality of the oils, 
therefore, depends not only on the purity and good 
condition of the flaxseed, but also on the care and 
thoroughness with which it is treated in the succeed- 
ing operations. 

The chief value of linseed oil as a paint is in its 
power of drying in a comparatively short time to a 
hard, tough, elastic and durable film when exposed 
to air. The raw oil is a thin mobile fluid that flows 
well under the brush and has good spreading- qualities. 
It also has sufficient body to hold up the pigment 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 283 

and gives a paint that is uniform in color and appear- 
ance and does not run or get streaky. The paint 
film* after it has dried should not crack, check or 
blister, if properly applied on a good surface. It 
gives off no bad odors, nor does it soften or deterior- 
ate in the sun or when exposed to the weather. No 
other commercial oil possesses all of these proprties 
to such a high degree. Claims are made for some of 
these oils and linseed oil substitutes now on the mar- 
ket that, as regards general painting purposes, they 
are the equal if not superior to linseed oil but these 
claims have not been fully proven as yet, and until 
they have been it does not seem wise to run any risk 
when the best results are required, and where condi- 
tions are at all severe. In many cases the claims for 
these linseed oil substitutes are not true and their 
use results in great trouble and expense on the part 
of the painter, as well as considerable loss of reputa- 
tion to him. 

Raw linseed oil, as it comes from the press, is not 
yet suitable for use, and, as stated above, has to be 
filtered and stored before used. It is also further 
treated in different ways, depending on the use to 
which it is to be put. Several grades or varieties of 
linseed oils are, therefore, in the market, designed 
for different kinds of paint manufactured for the mas- 
ter painter, varnish maker, leather industry, for lin- 
oleum, etc., etc. The chief grades are the follow- 
ing: 

Raw Oil. — This is the original oil pressed from 
the flax seed and from which all the other special oils 
are prepared. Before being sold to the trade, how- 
ever, it must first be very carefully filtered and 
stored for a certain length of time. The "foots." as 
chev are called, which are often found in an old barrel 



284 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

of linseed oil are the gummy or mucilaginous mat- 
ters which separate out of the oil on storage. The 
greater part of these are removed in the filter presses 
and storage tanks before the oil is shipped to con- 
sumers, but it is impossible to remove all of it from 
the raw oil, as it continues to settle out for a great 
length of time. The quantity of foots in a fresh raw 
oil depends partly on the condition of the seed, on 
the care used in cooking and pressing it, and in fil- 
tering. It depends also on the kind of seed which is 
used. 

For example, the Calcutta seed gives oil which has 
less foots than does that from, the United States 
and Canada. This is partly the reason why in the 
old days Calcutta oil was valued so highly by the 
paint and varnish trade. At the present time, how- 
ever, this does not hold so true, as with the improve- 
ment in the methods of extraction and preparation 
of the oil from domestic seed, it is equally as good 
as any other, and is now given a preference in this 
and other countries. 

A raw oil improves with age by reason of the 
more complete separation of the foots. It is the 
foots that tend to make the paint "tacky," soft, as 
well as slower drying, and the paint also is not so 
durable. 

The chief use of this oil is in the grinding of pig- 
ments and in the mixing of paints by both the paint 
manufacturer and by the practical painter himself. 

Boiled Oil. — There are several boiled oils on the 
market, each with its own particular uses. They are 
all made, however, by boiling the oil with prepared 
dryers under careful control and supervision. Each 
manufacturer has his own method of boiling, the de- 
tails of which are rather jealouslv guarded. The 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER ^85 

addition of the. dryer to the raw oi! causes the result- 
ing boiled oil to dry in from 7 to 12 hours instead of 
from 48 to 72 hours, not on account of the oxidizing 
action of the dryer on the oil, but by its action as a 
carrier of oxygen from the air to the oil. It acts as 
a sort of go-between in first taking up oxygen from 
the air and then giving it up to the oil, thus causing 
the latter to dry and harden more quickly than it 
otherwise would do. 

The boiling" of the oil also sets free the "mucilage" 
in the oil, practically all of which is removed in the 
process. A boiled oil containing a large excess of 
foots should always be looked upon with suspicion 
as showing evidence of having" been "bung"-hole- 
boiled," i. e., of the drier having been added to the 
raw oil after it has been placed in the barrel without 
being boiled at all. A certain amount of foots, how- 
ever, is usually present, which, in a great many cases, 
has settled out after the oil was put into the barrels, 
and cannot be overcome, as this quality of oil cannot 
be filtered commercially by the manufacturer. 

Among the different boiled oils on the market we 
would mention the following: 

Kettle Boiled Oil. — In the old days all boiled 
linseed oil was prepared in an open kettle heated In- 
direct heat from a fire built beneath it. This has to 
be very carefully done, not only on account of the 
danger from fire, but also on account of the possi- 
bility of overheating and damaging the quality of the 
oil. If properly prepared, however, it is of the high- 
est quality and usually commands a somewhat higher 
price than ordinary boiled oil. It is usually slightly 
darker in color, chiefly on account of the higher tem- 
perature to which it has been raised. 



286 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

Ordinary Boiled Oil. — This is much the same 
as kettle-boiled oil, except that it is heated in steam- 
jacketed tanks or kettles and larger quantities of oil 
are taken at a batch. The oil is also probably not 
raised to such a high temperature, although if care- 
fully prepared, should be of good quality for most 
purposes. On account of the lower temperature 
used in its preparation it is lighter in color than the 
kettle boiled. A very large percentage of the boiled 
oil of commerce is made by this process. 

In addition to these principal kinds of linseed oils 
there are certain other special oils, each of which has- 
its uses. Among these we would mention: 

Heavy Raw Oil. — This is a raw oil treated in such 
a way as to make it less fluid and with more body to 
it so that it can hold up a heavy pigment in suspen- 
sion better than ordinary raw oil. The pigment does 
not settle so quickly and the paint does not have to 
be stirred up so much while it is being- used. The 
coat of paint is, therefore, more uniform in appear- 
ance and more pleasing results are obtained. It 
should dry in a slightly shorter time than ordinary 
raw oil, but not as quickly as boiled oil. Its principal 
use SO' far is in the grinding of pigments by the paint 
manufacturer, although we do not see why it should 
not be equally valuable to the painter himself. 

Heavy Boiled Oil. — This has much the same 
qualities as the heavy raw oil, except that it dries 
more quickly, and is used by the paint manufacturer 
and painter where he requires a boiled oil for heavy- 
pigments and where quick drying is essential. 

Extra-Pale Boiled Oil. — This is a light-colored 
boiled oil with specially quick drying properties and 
is used in the grinding and manufacture of light-col- 
ored paints and in enamels. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 287 

Varnish Oil. — As its name signifies, it is used for 
the manufacture of varnishes of various kinds. It is 
not a boiled oil, but is treated in such a way that it 
will not "break" by any application of heat. When 
ordinary oil is heated up to moderately high tem- 
perature a flocculent gummy precipitate, called the 
"break," separates out. An oil varnish consists of 
resin dissolved in linseed oil at high temperature, the 
solution being afterwards thinned with a volatile 
solvent. Owing- to the high temperature used in 
varnish preparation, the varnish oil must have its 
breaking property entirely eliminated ; but, on ac- 
count of the expensive and elaborate applications of 
oil varnishes the oil must retain its durability and 
elasticity unimpaired by the treatment given to pre- 
vent breaking. Each linseed oil manufacturer has 
his own particular method by which he removes this 
breaking property, the quality of the product de- 
pending partly on the process employed, but largely 
on the careful attention given to the oil while it is 
undergoing the treatment. 

Refined Oil. — This is an oil which has been 
bleached out and made of a yellowish white color. 
It is especially useful in the grinding of white paints, 
as it does not injure the color of the pigment. It 
usually does not "break" on heating, because the 
breaking element in most cases has been removed. 
Strictly speaking, however, it is not a varnish oil, al- 
though some brands may be used for this purpose if 
combined with a suitable dryer. Bleached oil like 
raw, dries slowly, and it is customary to mix suitable 
dryers with it. The process of bleaching has to be 
carefully controlled since if it is carried too far it 
injures the good qualities of the oil. For this rea- 
son a very white oil is not to be recommended. 



288 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



Aged Oil. — This is a thick, heavy oil which has 
been partially oxidized and the "break" removed. 
It dries, therefore, somewhat quicker than ordinary 
raw oil. Its special use, however, is in the manufac- 
ture of patent leather and linoleums, in which indus- 
tries large quantities of it are used. 

Adulteration of Linseed Oil and Linseed Oil Substitutes 

Within the past few years this has been practiced 
more than formerly. With the increasing demand 
for linseed oils and its increased price, many attempts 
have been made to find an oil which would take its 
place and at a lower cost. So far this has not been 
completely successful, although for some purposes, 
as in the case of cheap paints, for steel work and 
other similar work, some of these oils have found 
considerable use. For woodwork, however, both 
interiors and exteriors, and where the highest class of 
painting is required, a substitute oil has yet to be 
found which will completely take the place of linseed. 
Some of them are used in admixture with linseed oil 
and are sold under various trade names, apparently 
chosen to mislead the public as to their real char- 
acter. 

In all fairness to the manufacturers of linseed oil, 
we must say that we do not believe any of them 
knowingly adulterate their products. Of course, 
cases of bad oils have come to our attention in which 
the fault was due to improper preparation of the oil 
before being shipped. In most cases, however, the 
trouble is found to be due to adulteration of the oil 
after it has left the manufacturer, by unscrupulous 
jobbers, retailers, etc. This is the case particularly 
when the price of oil has advanced to a point where 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER ^89 

it makes it profitable to add 5, 10 or even 20 gallons 
of some other cheaper oil to the original barrel of lin- 
seed. In other cases where only a small quantity of 
oil is sold it has been found that the measuring can or 
container has not been clean, and as a result all man- 
ner of trouble arose when the oil came to be used. 

The oils which are most commonly used for this 
purpose we have found to be : 

Rosin oil, mineral oils, such as benzine, kerosene, 
and even some grades of lubricating; oils ; fish oils. 
China wood oil. Sova bean oil, corn oil, hemp or rape 
oil. 

When these are added by the jobber or retailer 
they are almost certain to seriously affect the quality 
of the oil and cause damage to the paint with conse- 
quent loss of time monev and reputation to the 
painter. The cheapest and most frequently used 
adulterants are the petroleum oils. These are 
lighter in weight than linseed and consequently re- 
duce the specific gravity. Rosin oil is, therefore, 
frequently added with them to increase the specific 
gravity. Fish or menhaden oil is sometimes used, 
the latter forming a constituent of various smoke- 
stack paints, but should never be used for interior 
work on account of the smell given off by the dried 
paint. It also causes darkening" of the color in time. 
The worst linseed oil substitutes are those consisting 
of solutions of rosin in hydrocarbon oils, which are 
again mixed with tar oil and rosin oil. Such imita- 
tions dry without durability. Other substitutes are 
obtained by dissolving- metallic resinates in tar oil 
or petroleum. Many substitutes are made with rosin 
oil, but they are apt to dry very slowly and remain 
sticky, and when used for painting will damage even 
a subsequent good coat, so that nothing but actual 



290 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

scraping - off will remedy a coat of paint which proves 
defective as a result of using" rosin oil. 

An oil sometimes used for adulteration is corn oil, 
which, however, possesses practically no drying prop- 
erties and can only be used in small quantities with 
linseed. At the present retail price for linseed of 
about 65 cents per gallon and for corn oil at 63 cents 
per gallon, it does not pay the retailer to do this. 

China wood oil, or tung oil, is rapidly becoming- 
conspicuous as a linseed oil substitute. As received 
from the Chinese, it is often heavily adulterated and 
considerable variation in shipment of this oil is found. 
The crude oil dries with extreme rapidity, but with 
an opaque film of wax-like character with no elastic- 
ity. It cannot be used in its raw state, and requires 
to be chemically treated. This has to be very care- 
fully done or else the result is a failure. Many firms 
have tried to introduce this oil as a substitute for lin- 
seed oil, but without any great measure of success. 
When heated to about 350 F. it suddenly thickens 
to an insoluble gelatine-like substance which cannot 
be softened again. It is nearly always used in ad- 
mixture with linseed oil. Its characteristic lard-like 
odor can usually be detected, even when only small 
quantities are present. This is found to be an ob- 
jection to it for use as a varnish. It does not dissolve 
in alcohol and hence cannot be used for spirit var- 
nishes or lacquers. In cheap oil varnishes it dries 
with a flat, frosty, crawling surface. Varnish makers 
claim that by the use of China wood oil a satisfactory 
varnish may be prepared, but the process is one of 
much delicacy, and few manufacturers have been 
successful with it. The rosin content of the treated 
wood oil is also apt to cause checking when it is used 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 291 

to any extent in paints for the protection of wooden 
surfaces. 

Soya bean oil is used by some paint manufacturers 
who 1 claim that certain pigments are less liable to 
harden in the package when ground in an oil mixture 
containing Soya bean oil than with straight linseed 
oil. It, however, is not really a drying oil, but a 
semi-drying oil; on this account it is not nearly so 
good as linseed oil for paint purposes. Tests which 
have been made with this oil show it to dry much 
more slowly than linseed oil, and the color of the 
paint becomes darker upon exposure than is the case 
with a paint made from straight linseed oil. 

Some of these adulterations can be often detected 
by the painter by the ordinary application of the 
senses of smell and sight ; also by observing the re- 
sults obtained. In most cases, however, only a 
chemist can accurately do this, and then only with 
siderable difficulty. 

It can thus be seen that linseed oil as a paint oil 
cannot be replaced by any of the other drying oils 
now commercially available for work of the highest 
character, and this is the only kind of work which 
any painter wishes to do if he has any regard for his 
own reputation and for the interests of his customers. 
We have endeavored to explain to you the proper- 
ties of linseed oil, which make it so valuable to paint- 
ers, and to the paint manufacturer, and also the rea- 
sons why linseed oil is superior to any other oil for 
these purposes. The statements which we have 
made and the facts given above have been proven 
many times by men of the highest standing and repu- 
tation, as well as by the actual experience of nearly 
every practical painter. The time may come when 
process will be worked out which will produce 



292 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

other oils of equal quality, but this has not yet been 
done, nor have the claims made by manufacturers of 
other paint oils that they are the equal of linseed oil 
in every respect been proven by practical experience 
and trial. 

Testing Linseed Oil. — Chemical analysis is die 
only accurate way to test an oil. As this is not prac- 
ticable with painters and only can be done at consid- 
erable cost, in the laboratory, we must use some of 
the simpler means. There is the "spot test," a very 
reliable method. On a sheet of glass place a spoon- 
ful of oil, and allow it to flow out ; then with a 
dropper let fall in the middle of the oil a drop of 
concentrated sulphuric acid ; if the oil is pure the acid 
will not spread, but will burn the oil in a spot of about 
l A inch diameter. If the oil is impure either a bloom 
will appear on the surface surrounding- the spot, or 
minute veins will radiate from the spot towards the 
body of the oil. 

The cold or freezing test is another good one. 
Pure linseed oil becomes about the consistency of 
lard at a temperature of about 16 to 25 ° F. An oil 
that becomes as thick as lard at a higher tempera- 
ture than this is not pure linseed oil. Cottonseed 
oil congeals at about 5 above zero, F., making 20 
to 25 difference between it and linseed oil. Fish oil 
at about 32 F., while the oil from warm-blooded 
animals will congeal at a point above this. Rosin oil 
congeals at zero. Rapeseed oil at about 25 F. 
above. Hence, when any of these oils are mixed 
with linseed oil the resultant oil will assume a semi- 
solid appearance at some point above 16 F., below 
zero, according to the kind and amount of adultera- 
tion of oil used. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 293 

A good quality of linseed oil, raw, will gain from 16 
to 17^2 per cent, in weight in drying, and boiled oil, 
say from 15 to 17 per cent. An oil containing ben- 
zine or turpentine will show a decided loss during the 
first hours of drying and some of the cheap oils used 
in paint will show an ultimate loss in weight, instead 
of gain. With a chemist's balance at hand the qual- 
ity of the oil may be ascertained by mixing it with an 
excess of an inert substance say silica or barytes, and 
then weighing the mass from time to time, as it 
dries. 

Substitutes for boiled linseed oil are, as a rule, 
mixtures of rosin, linseed oil, more or less, crushers' 
driers, and some thin oil, mineral most likely. Many 
of these substitutes contain rosin or rosin oil, ben- 
zine and kerosene oil. If the painter will use an 
adulterated oil it would be money in his pocket to 
make it himself, then throw it away and use as good 
and pure linseed oil as money can buy. The use of 
adulterated oil cannot be defended upon any rational 
grounds, and the man who uses it injures his patrons 
and himself. It is dishonest. 

A very simple and effective way for testing linseed 
oil suspected of containing petroleum oil is to fill a 
bottle about one-third full of the oil, then almost fill 
with a strong solution of salsoda or potash. Shake 
well, when the mineral oil will separate from the lin- 
seed oil, the latter forming with the lye a soap. The 
mineral oil will not saponify, but remains unchanged. 

To test an oil for rosin, take equal volumes of the 
oil and grain alcohol and mix them well by shaking 
in a test tube or long bottle. Let stand for one hour, 
then pour the alcoholic layer into another clean test 
tube or bottle. Into this alcoholic solution let fall 
two to five drops of solution of sugar of lead (lead 



294 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

acetate). Set aside for six hours. If the oil con- 
tained any rosin a permanent white sediment will be 
found precipitated on the bottom of the bottle. This 
test will also indicate if a boiled linseed oil is a true 
kettle-boiled oil, or a so-called "bung-hole" boiled oil 
— raw oil to which has been added a rosin dryer. 

The presence of mineral oil was formerly easily de- 
tected by its bluish color or bloom, but the adulter- 
ators have now succeeded in eliminating- this, and 
hence other means must be employed in detecting its 
presence. Placing some suspected oil on the palm of 
the hands and smelling- odor of the same, after 
briskly rubbing the palms together, causing heat, will 
disclose the easily recognized smell of fish, rosin or 
mineral oil. Linseed oil has a sweet and agreeable 
odor, when fresh, but old oil may be quite different 
from this. 

Oil adulterated with petroleum oil will have a 
cloudy appearance, and the film after drying will be 
easily removed by scraping with the finger nail. Pour 
out some oil on a piece of window glass, made per- 
fectly clean, and note the time required for drying. 
Raw oil takes several days, but it will finally become 
dry; boiled oil will dry in from 8 to 10 hours, but 
much depends upon the temperature or atmosphereic 
conditions. 

Oils may be divided according- to their drying 
properties as follows, g'iving the principal oils of 
each class: 

Drying — Linseed, walnut, tung', poppy, sunflower. 

Semi-drying — Rape, Menhaden, cotton, hemp, se- 
same, Soya bean, maize (corn). 

Non-drying — Olive, palm, castor, almond, cod 
liver. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 295 

Linseed oil has more useful qualities than any 
other single paint oil. A few other oils have merit, 
but cannot be used in the raw state in the same man- 
ner that linseed oil is used. Raw linseed oil is ex- 
tremely elastic, expanding - and contracting with any 
kind of surface on which it may be used. It is also 
very penetrating, excepting in cold weather, when 
the addition of a little turpentine aids it. When raw 
linseed oil is spread on a flat surface, either with or 
without the addition of pigment, it gradually crys- 
talizes into a hard film, there being absolutely no 
evaporation whatever. The best linseed oil. there- 
fore, is the one that will obsorb the greatest amount 
of oxygen in the least time ; in other words, that will 
dry in the quickest time. A fair or average g"ood 
linseed oil when spread out in a thin layer as sug- 
gested, on a smooth surface and under favorable con- 
ditions, should dry and harden in from five to seven 
days. 

Double-boiled oil is that which has reached about 
300 C. When boiled four hours at the maximum 
heat the oil will lose exactly 5 per cent, of its bulk. 
This adds also to the cost of the boiled oil, yet it re- 
tails at about three cents per gallon above the price 
of raw oil. Boiled oil is not as elastic as raw oil, but 
it dries quicker, and makes a gloss finish that raw oil 
cannot. Boiled oil is in fact a varnish, though it 
does not dry as hard as a gum varnish, of course. 
Painters, as a rule, when using- boiled oil, use too 
much, which causes wrinkled surface. As to which 
is the better, raw or boiled, there has been some 
discussion among practical painters. Boiled oil cer- 
tainly has some objectionable features, and raw oil 
few or none, practically speaking. Boiled oil has a 
tendency to blister, and it will wrinkle the paint if 



296 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

the painters is not carefnl in its use. The trouble is, 
that the oil dries on top, leaving the inside soft, which 
when the sun strikes it will turn to blistering. The 
addition of some turpentine to boiled oil will help it, 
hardening it some, and red lead with it seems to make 
a good coating. Also graphite paint seems to do 
better with it. Double-boiled oil is particularly unsafe 
on exterior work. A correspondent of the Carter 
Times believes that in a cold climate boiled oil is 
better than raw oil, but that in a warm climate raw oil 
is best. He says he has used boiled oil on seacoast 
painting with success. An old painter, who as a boy 
helped boil oil in the shop, says such an oil paint 
lasted from 15 to 16 years to his own knowledge. 
Another painter tells of a job of painting he did more 
recently, for which he received $10 extra for using an 
oil that he himself boiled for the job, and that job was 
in good condition ten years later ; there was no scale, 
crack, or other sign of deterioration. These facts 
are of great value to us as painters. 

Thinners and Solvents 

Spirits of Turpentine. — Turpentine spirits, 
made from the gum or resin, in the old way, thins 
paint perfectly, does not make the paint "short," 
aids drying, prevents wrinkling of the paint, reduces 
the tendency of paint to become fatty, works well 
over wet wood, on account of being able to take up 
a certain amount of water, is not affected by cold, 
and stands a temperature of 30 F. without danger. 
It is miscible (or mixes) with all the paint oils and 
thinners, and may be mixed cold with any of the oil 
varnishes without causing a separation of the gum. 
Its chief value in addition to being a thinning agent 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 297 

of paint, is in its flatting property in paint. But it 
contains an acid that will injure certain pigments, 
such as flake white or rose madder, which will change 
color in 12 hours when mixed with turpentine. 

Wood Turpentine. — Sometimes called stump 
turpentine and wood spirit. The dry distilled 
product has a strong, pungent odor, and takes on a 
deep yellow color by age, or if kept in the dark. The 
steam distilled variety has less odor, is water white, 
and does not turn yellow so soon. It is a quite satis- 
factory thinner, and is much used in place of the 
gum spirits. The sp. gr. and flash point of wood 
turpentine and gum turpentine are similar. Wood 
spirits obtained from knots and stumps has a strong 
and pungent smell, so that many persons will not 
allow it to be used in their houses. But. by re-dis- 
tilling, this odor is almost entirely removed, and the 
liquid retains its water-white color for a long time. 
The crude spirit soon turns a deep yellow, as already 
stated. The re-distilled, water-white spirit is now 
classed as pure commercial turpentine ; if free from 
odor it is very good. The diluting power of wood 
turpentine is the same as that of the gum spirits. 

Turpentine Substitutes. — The heavy petro- 
leum distillate, known to the trade as "heavy naph- 
tha," "white spirit," and "heavy petroleum distil- 
late" or simply "distillate," is the base commonly em- 
ployed for making turpentine substitute. This liquid 
is water-white, something between benzine and kero- 
sene oil, but does not leave as much grease on white 
paper as kerosene does. It is not as volatile as 
benzine, flows better with paint than benzine, but it 
slightly retards drying. While it is often used alone 



298 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

as a substitute for turpentine, it is more common to 
add other liquids to it, to improve it. Thus, by add- 
ing 5 to 20 per cent, of wood turpentine to it and 
rosin spirit, or a mixture of the two, and a little pine 
oil, we get a better imitation of the true turpentine 
odor, and makes it mix better with paint and var- 
nish. Benzol is another liquid sometimes added to 
these imitations. A substitute containing no tur- 
pentine may be made from benzine 80 parts, kero- 
sent 18 parts, and rosin spirit 2 parts. This makes a 
water-white fluid with a strong turpentine odor, due 
to the presence of the rosin spirit ; it works well in 
paint, but not so well in varnish. 

Another substitute is composed of equal parts of 
rosin spirit and heavy benzoline. and turpentine 
twice as much. Or, turpentine 1 part, benzol 1 pari, 
and petroleum spirit 2 parts. Or, 1 gal. turpentine, 
1 gal, rosin spirit, 2 gals, petroleum spirit, 2 lbs. 
rosin, and 2 lbs. gum sandarach. And so on, almost 
indefinitely. Most turpentine substitutes are made 
from foreign petroleum oil, which does not give a 
good burning oil, American petroleum being the best 
in the world for illuminating purposes, but which, 
particularly the Pennsylvania oil, won't make a good 
substitute, being too light. The Russian "turpen- 
tines" are too greasy and do not evaporate out well, 
some not at all perfectly. Some of these substitutes 
smell very like real turpentine, but have a woody 
rather than a gum odor, due to the presence of wood 
turpentine. 

How to Clarify Discolored Turpentine. — 
The turpentine becomes discolored from standing 
in rusty containers. Here is a method for clearing 
it: (1) Agitate the turpentine with a small quantity of 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 299 

nitric acid, using a small quantity of the turpentine 
for the experiment, and after it settles draw off the 
clear portion, the nitric acid going to the bottom. 
{2) Take a saturated solution of oxalic acid, using 
hot water, the addition of some acetic acid making it 
stronger. But try either or both ways; that is. with 
or without the acetic acid in the oxalic acid solution. 
Agitate the turpentine with the acid and after it set- 
tles, draw off the clear solution. 

Camphorated Turpentine. — Camphorated tur- 
pentine may be obtained by adding an ounce of cam- 
phor gum in one gallon of turpentine spirits. It 
is useful in reducing the brittleness of some hard 
gums used in varnish making. There is a stronger 
preparation called ''heavy camphor-turpentine," pre- 
pared by the addition of 2 lbs. of gum camphor in a 
gallon of turpentine. The weaker comphor-turpen- 
tine is used in some enamels to make them more 
elastic and easy to spread. It is also useful in shellac 
varnish for the same purpose. 

Benzine. — Benzine is a good thinner and a great 
solvent of oils, but it lacks some of the best properties 
of turpentine. It is more volatile ; as a thinner of oil 
paint it abstracts too much oil. leaving the pigment 
with insufficient binder. It is a better thinner, as 
mere thinning goes, than turpentine, but it makes 
paint "short." it does not level or flat well under the 
brush; a fault particularly noticeable in varnish thin- 
ned with it. The tendency of benzine when mixed 
with paint is to make the paint more soft than com- 
mon after the paint has dried. Grainers say that when 
the graining ground has been made of paint thinned 
with benzine there is a tendency of the paint to rub 



300 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

up. Benzine seems to leave some paraffine, causing; 
the paint trouble spoken of. 

It is well known that benzine will not flat paint as 
turpentine does ; thin it with benzine until like milk 
for consistency, and when dry the paint will have 
more or less of a gloss. Again, white paint thinned 
with benzine will yellow, but with turpentine it will 
not. It is simply useful for thinning out the paint 
when that is all you desire of it. It will not injure 
the paint, as it completely evaporates. Why it 
should yellow paint is hard to understand, unless it is 
because of the paraffine it is assumed to leave with 
the paint, and which must be a very inconsiderable- 
amount. It was discovered by oil-cloth makers that 
benzine yellowed white paint. 

When you want to make enamel paint flow easier, 
some benzine may be added and the end will be 
achieved, and the finish will have all its gloss. Thin 
out with turpentine and the gloss would be wholly or 
partially gone. 

Benzine does not work well on wood containing 
an excess of moisture, owing to the fact that it will 
not mix with water; turpentine does. Neither will 
it withstand a high degree of temperature owing to 
its rapid evaporation ; in consequence it is useless in 
baking or japanning. Also, if chilled to near the 
freezing point it precipitates the gums in varnish, , so 
that it is easy to see it is not adapted to either a hot 
or cold climate. 

To test benzine for purity place a few drops on 
white paper, and if pure it will completely evaporate 
in 7 minutes, leaving no stain. 

It is said that benzine may be made non-explosive 
by adding a pound of table salt to five gallons of the 
fluid, which will also partially deodorize and refine 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 301 

it. After it has set for some time the clear liquid 
may be drawn off. 

Deodorized benzine took the place of turpentine in 
the North during the war of the States in 1861-6. 
Turpentine was too costly or impossible to procure 
then, and benzine also was high. 

Rate of Evaporation of Benzine. — Benzine 
has the highest rate of evaporation of all the paint 
thinners, even higher than that of the very inflam- 
mable coal tar product known as solvent naphtha. 
Slow evaporation generally means slow drying, 
while rapid evaporation should mean quick drying, 
but more often signifies quick setting, quite another 
thing. The whole subject of evaporation is quite 
a problem, one that our experts even do not under- 
stand perfectly. We do know that it has much to 
do with the behavior of paints and varnishes. , One 
peculiar feature in regard to evaporation and the 
drying of paint and varnish is that the rate of evap- 
oration at a high temperature in a closed room is not 
as great as at a lower temperature with a free circu- 
lation of air. Evaporation depends upon the tem- 
perature, amount of moisture in the air, and the 
movement of the air. The rate of evaporation is 
governed by the time of exposure, area of the sur- 
face, and the volume of the liquid. 

From the result of many experiments it has been 
found that the "rate of evaporation" per hour, per 
square inch, for a given volume of water, alcohol, tur- 
pentine, and benzine is as follows : 

Water (by weight) 0.61 per cent. 

Grain alcohol 5.10 " " 

Wood alcohol 9.74 " " 

Turpentine 1 . 10 " " 



302 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

Wood spirits i . 58 per cent. 

Benzine 4 . 70 " " 

Gasoline (87 deg.) 55.11 " " 

When benzine is adulterated with coal oil, it gives 
forth a persistent and disagreeable odor. To test, 
put a piece of pitch in the suspected benzine which, 
if the benzine is adulterated, will soon be dissolved, 
but will color the liquid less on account of the pres- 
ence of the petroleum oil. 

To deodorize benzine it may be allowed to fall, 
drop by drop, into a vessel containing sulphuric acid, 
which is fitted with an abducent tube carrying the 
benzine in the form of a vapor to a receiver, in which 
it is condensed as a liquid having the odor of honey. 
The temperature of the mixture of benzine and sul- 
phuric acid should be carried to about 150 . 

Benzine may be distinguished from benzol in the 
following way : Benzine is colored violet by a crystal 
of potassium, iodide, while benzol is colored carmine. 
If to clear benzine a few drops of a clear ether solu- 
tion of gum sandarach are added a persistent cloudi- 
ness is produced in the benzine, while with benzol, 
treated in the same way, the cloudiness will soon pass 
away. Finally, if the benzol is shaken with a drop of 
alcohol it will become clouded while benzine will re- 
main clear. 

Benzole. — Variously referred to as benzol, coal 
tar naphtha, and solvent naphtha, is a product of bi- 
tuminous coal, obtained by distillation ; a by-product 
of gas works, from the resultant gas tar. It is a 
water-white liquid, volatile, and leaving no residue 
after evaporation. It is a perfect solvent for oils, 
rubber, gum resins, etc. In connection with acetone 
it forms the paint and varnish removers of commerce. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 303 

It is occasionally used with turpentine as a mixture 
for cutting damar gum. It is also added to paint 
mixtures to prevent the granulation of rosin contained 
therein, and in paint it is also useful in softening up 
an undercoat, so that the succeeding coat can take 
hold better. Also a good thinner for paint and var- 
nish. In its brushing qualities it resembles turpen- 
tine spirits, more so than any other liquid of its class. 
It is one of the best solvents known for rosin, and it 
is unaffected by a cold temperature. It mixes easily 
with turpentine, benzine and oil. Being a very in- 
flammable liquid it must be used with caution and in- 
surance companies object to it. Its market price, as 
a rule, ranges higher than that of heavy petroleum 
spirits, which are sold as turpentine substitutes. In 
painting it is useful for priming hard pine and cy- 
press, the liquid penetrating deeply and dissolving 
the hard gum that is in those woods. But it should 
never be used in any subsequent coats, though it may 
with advantage be used with a coat of paint applied 
over a hard old coating of paint. Useful also for 
coating over varnished surface before coating with 
paint. 

Used in baking- enamels and paints, where the 
benzole is driven off by the heat, there is very little 
trouble, but in paint and applied cold, as usual, there 
is a tendency to soften up the undercoats so that they 
either wrinkle bad or the paint loosens. 

Evaporation Tests. — 

Pure benzol 10 minims 

ioo per cent, benzol 13! 

50 per cent benzol 23 

160 per cent, benzol or solvent 

naphtha 107 

Turpentine 142 



304 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

Kerosene Oil. — Kerosene or coal oil, a distillate 
of petroleum, imparts elasticity to paint and varnish, 
especially baking varnishes, etc., promotes flow, and 
increases the leveling property ; it is very repellant of 
water. Its greatest fault consists in its not drying, 
though with rosin and manganese it is possible to 
produce a fairly good combination drying oil. In 
the South, the home of pure turpentine and in the 
Southwest and California it is much used as a 
paint thinner, and to a smaller extent it is likewise 
used in the North. In California particularly it is 
used to the almost total exclusion of turpentine. 
This is why so little good painting is found on the 
Pacific coast. It is a very treacherous thinner, as it 
greatly retards drying and causes separation of oil 
and pigment on metal. When used in paint the suc- 
ceeding coat is more than apt to crack or peel off. 
A very small quantity might be permissible in rough 
paints, as for rough barns, etc ; but for good work it 
should not be thought of. 
> All thinners and solvents are influenced by tem- 
perature, moisture and absorption ; hence these fac- 
tors must be taken into consideration «when differ- 
ent thinners are used. 

In a very dry climate, where lumber is dry and the 
air without moisture at any time, say as in Arizona, 
a paint thinned with kerosene will work very well, as 
the coal oil is absorbed by the wood, which it tends 
to preserve against decay or dry rot. The small 
amount of kerosene oil remaining with the paint will 
impart a certain amount of elasticity that will pre- 
vent cracking or checking at least. But on metal the 
case would be different. On wet wood a paint con- 
taining kerosene will be apt to run, and it will be 
very slow in drying. Eventually 85 per cent, of the 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 305 

kerosene will evaporate. The relative evaporation 
of kerosene being 13, as compared with turpentine as 
1 1 00. While some painters report very good re- 
sults from using kerosene oil in paint, still we must 
object to its use, as a paint thinner, for all the evi- 
dence against it is as 100 to r. 

"The first occasion I had to use benzol was when 
I had to stain an old varnish pine surface in mahog- 
any, about a year and a-half ago. I tested it by mix- 
ing my stain in the usual way, with oil, benzine and 
colors, rather thick, then I added about one quart of 
benzol to the gallon and stained the wood with it, 
and as the owner wanted a flat surface, I varnished 
it with flat varnish ; of course I added some japan to 
my stain. About a month ago I examined this work 
and found it in excellent condition, not a particle of 
chipping nor scaling. I tried to scrape it with my 
finger-nail and could hardly make a mark on it. I 
have since then used it, as you might say, by the 
barrel. I use it in all my priming and most of my 
first coatings on old paint, and all my stains, and use 
it as freely as I would turpentine or benzine. I had 
occasion to do quite a large job of staining on Ore- 
gon fir about a year ago, and I used in the propor- 
tion of one-third oil, one-third benzine and one-third 
benzol, with enough driers and the proper amount 
of oil colors to get the shade I wanted. The speci- 
fications called for wiping- the wood with rags to get 
the proper shade, but we did not have to use rags 
at all, as the stain penetrated the wood so well that it 
had the appearance of a water stain, with the advant- 
age that we had no sandpapering to do. We gave 
the stain one coat of shellac and one coat of varnish, 
full body, and had an excellent job, as good as most 
work receiving two coats of varnish. I attributed 



306 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

this to the fact that a stain mixed with benzol dries 
better and harder than one mixed in the ordinary 
manner. I have watched this job since we finished 
it, and I know it is in good condition to-day. I have 
been told by some that the use of benzol in stain will 
deteriorate the varnish put over it, but up to the 
present time I have not found it so. 

I find benzol is used in a great deal of the turpen- 
tine substitutes now on the market, also in the flat 
wall paints now so largely in use. The manufacturer 
has been using it a long- time, but he has been keep- 
ing mighty quiet about it, and it is only in the last 
year or two that the painter has been getting 'on- 
to it.' 

Now that turpentine is getting scarcer, my advice 
is : Use more benzol and less benzine. I have not 
had one case of trouble from the use of benzol as yet- 
What the next year may bring forth I do not know,, 
but I am going to .continue its use. 

Benzols are made in several different grades- 
There are grades that will evaporate in ten minutes,. 
and other grades that take as long as two hours. The 
grade I use and have experimented with is called 
solvent naphtha, or 160-degree benzol, which evapo- 
rates in 107 minutes and is almost as slow as turpen- 
tine, and from my investigations I think this is the 
best, as it is also the safest to use, there being less, 
danger of explosion and fire ; therefore being safer 
to have around the paint shop; also, as the evapora- 
tion is slower, it gives the paint a longer time to pene- 
trate new wood, and also a longer time in which to 
soften up old paint. 

Benzol is also used in bronzing liquid, and for that 
purpose it is better to use a grade that evaporates 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 807 

in less time, as the quicker the bronzing liquid dries 
the better the luster of your bronze." — L. B. Titzel. 

Water. — Water is used both as a thinner and as 
an 'emulsifier, the latter to keep mixed paint in suspen- 
sion. As water will not mix with oil, it is necessary 
to employ some medium to effect this union, and we 
find useful for this purpose alkali, glycerine and alco- 
hol. Oil and alkali form soap, oil and glycerine form 
a glyceride, and oil and alcohol form a mechanical 
mixture. In adding an alkali to the oil for thinning 
paint, care must be taken not to add too much, in 
which case soap would result, while just the correct 
amount will form simply an emulsion. One formula 
may be cited here as showing" how the emulsion may 
be formed: Dissolve four ounces of borax (or two 
ounces of sal soda) in one gallon of hot water. Then 
add one pound of gum shellac, either the bleached or 
orange colored, according to the paint desired, 
whether white or tinted. The alkaline mixture is kept 
at a temperature just under the boiling point, and 
the solution must be stirred until the gum is dissolved. 
This is usually accomplished in about thirty minutes. 
Strain the solution and add to any kind of mixed 
paint, the limit being one part of the solution to two 
of the mixed paint. The more common addition, 
however, is about one-tenth solution. 

A mixed paint thinned to working consistency with 
turpentine, benzine, or linseed oil, will take one-tenth 
its volume of the solution, and apparently not be any 
thinner. The paint will then work very easily under 
the brush, and cover very well. The solution is de- 
signed to hold the paint in solution, preventing the 
settling of the pigments which it does. But such a 
solution-treated paint is properly called adulterated. 



308 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

Any paint containing more than two per cent, of 
water is considered to be adulterated. 

After the water of this solution has evaporated 
from the paint there remains the shellac combined 
with the oil forming a film that is very durable. Zinc 
white lithopone and other non-porous pigments have 
a tendency to form an enamel surface and should be 
assisted by the addition of a more porous pigment, 
like silica, barytes or whiting, as this will prevent the 
film from becoming hard enough to scale when the 
water escapes. When water is vaporized by heat, it 
expands to several hundred times its original volume, 
and this expansion causes paint to peel off, particu- 
larly where the wood is not perfectly dry. 

Carbon Tetrachloride is another solvent possess- 
ing many peculiar properties ; it is a perfect solvent for 
all of the substances soluble in turpentine, benzine 
and solvent naphtha, but unlike the above thinners, 
it is non-inflammable, and it is impossible to set it 
afire. It is a colorless liquid like chloroform, and has 
a similar odor, but in much less degree. It is a per- 
fect thinner for paint and varnish, rendering them less 
inflammable and hastening the drying by evaporation. 
Carbon tetrachloride and chloroform are the only 
two solvents that will not take fire, but may be evap- 
orated from an open dish on a hot stove with perfect 
safety. 

The high price of carbon tetrachloride and its faint 
chloroform odor prohibit its use as a thinner. 

Carbon tetrachloride is a good solvent for many 
resins, particularly such as are dissolved by benzine 
and mixed nitric and hydrochloric acids, but are nearly 
or quite insoluble in alcohol. A very good varnish 
may be made by dissolving gum damar in this solvent, 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 309 

heated to 120 F. Some resins of the copal class, 
which dissolve with difficulty in turpentine, and very 
slowly in boiled oil, dissolve readily in hot carbon 
tetrachloride. It also is capable of completely dissolv- 
ing with alcohol many resins that with alcohol alone 
dissolve only partially, and with 10 to 20 per cent, 
added to the alcohol these resins dissolve completely. 
Gum shellac, sandarach and some other resins, for 
example, dissolve but slightly in commercial dena- 
tured alcohol of 90 strength, owing to the presence 
of water ; but they dissolve completely on the addition 
of the percentage of tetrachloride named. 

Rosin Spirit. — Obtained from rosin by distillation. 
A good solvent and thinner, but its yellow color and 
strong odor is against its general use in paint, though 
it is used in the varnish factory. Its principal use 
seems to be in the making of turpentine substitutes, 
as previously pointed out. 

Gloss Oil. — This can hardly be classed as a paint 
thinner, though it is a very thin liquid, used to some 
extent by painters for size, etc. A factory formula for 
making rosin oil, so-called, is as follows. F rosin 400 
lbs., 59 or 62 deg., benzine 50 gals., producing about 
90 gals, gloss oil. It has very little body, sets quickly, 
but with the addition of a heavy petroleum spirit this 
is retarded. 

Pine Oil. — Pine oil is obtained from the distilla- 
tion of pine and fir seeds, as a rule, but more or less 
wood and pitch are used in producing the commer- 
cial oil. It has a pale, yellow color, and smells strongly 
of rosin and spirit, or something like dry distilled tur- 
pentine. Not used as a paint oil, unless when added 



310 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

to mixed paint and varnish, to impart a turpentine 
odor. 

Amyl Acetate. — Obtained from fusel oil and 
acetic acid by distillation. Used mainly as a solvent 
for celluloid and gun-cotton, in the preparation of 
bronzing liquids and spirit varnishes. Odor like ba- 
nana liquid. Too expensive to be used as a thinner 
by painters. 

How to Distinguish Various Solvents. — The 
various solvents all have certain characteristics which 
enable us to distinguish one from the other ; amyl ace- 
tate and fusil oil are always recognized by their odor; 
carbon tetrachloride and chloroform by their odor and 
non-inflammability; benzole or solvent naphtha by its 
coal tar smell and property of mixing with both al- 
cohol and turpentine; kerosene oil by its leaving a 
greasy stain on white paper; benzine by its odor, its 
flash point, and acid resistance ; turpentine by its odor ; 
its perfect mixture with varnish, and by the follow- 
ing simple test, which distinguishes crude wood spirit 
from the rectified spirits of turpentine : 

In several small wine glasses or beakers, place 
about ~ half a fluid ounce of each of the following sol- 
vents, viz. : Turpentine, wood spirit, benzine and sol- 
vent naphtha. Now add an equal amount of strong 
hydrochloric (muriatic) acid, the acid must be chem- 
ically pure and colorless, then stir with a glass rod. 
After about two minutes the lower strata or layer of 
acid will be colored a pale amber or topaz-yellow in 
the case of pure turpentine ; a bright red turning to 
brown in the case of wood spirit, or an orange brown 
if rectified, no change in the case of benzine, both 
strata remain in »■ colorless ; while in the case of solvent 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 311 



naphtha both strata remain colorless for about fifteen 
minutes, after which the lower strata takes on a very 
faint pink tinge. 

Alcohol. — Ethyl or grain. Obtained by fermenta- 
tion and the distillation of rye and other grains. 
Grape alcohol from grapes. Absolute alcohol is that 
which is obtained entirely free from water, a condi- 
tion not obtained by ordinary distillation, and effected 
only by the use of some dehydrating substance, as 
quicklime. Commercial absolute alcohol contains 
about i per cent, of water, and it is used only for spe- 
cial purposes. U. S. Pharmacopoeia alcohol means a 
solution of 91 per cent, by weight of ethyl alcohol and 
9 per cent, of water. Proof spirit or dilute alcohol 
means a solution of 45.5 per cent, of alcohol and 54.5 
per cent, of water, both by weight. 

Amyl Alcohol is the principal constituent of fusil 
oil, etc. 

Wood Alcohol, or methyl alcohol. Known also as 
wood spirits, wood naphtha, pyroxyllic spirit, and car- 
binol. Distilled from wood. Since the advent of de- 
natured alcohol, and on account of its very poisonous 
and generally objectionable character, it is not much 
in use by painters now. 

Denatured Alcohol. — This is simply grain alco- 
hol to which has been added a certain percentage of 
wood alcohol, usually about 10 per cent., which unfits 
it for beverage purposes and does not unfit it for all 
the purposes of an industrial character. 

Acetone. — An inflammable liquid with a biting- 
taste, and obtained by the destructive distillation of 



312 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

certain acetates, citric acid, starch, gum, or sugar. 
Used in making chloroform and as a solvent for fats, 
camphor and resins. Much used in the preparation 
of bronzing fluids and varnish and paint removers. 
The addition of one gallon of acetone to 25 gallons of 
wood alcohol will produce a solvent that will cut shel- 
lac more readily than wood alcohol alone. 

Fusel Oil. — An acrid, oily liquid of a vile odor, ac- 
companying the making of potato spirits, corn spirits, 
etc. It consists chiefly of amyl alcohol, hence is also 
known as amyl alcohol. 

Water Glass. — Soluble glass. Silicate of soda. 
Silicate of potash. Consisting of silica which has 
been liquified by extreme heat and pressure in connec- 
tion with potash, giving potassium silicate, and with 
soda, giving sodium silicate. The latter is that com- 
monly used by painters. It is of a syrupy consistence, 
and is dissolvable in water. 

Some Little Used Paint Oils 

Cottonseed Oil. — This is about the least adapted 
of any of the various linseed oil substitutes that can 
be used in paint. It is strictly a non-drying oil, and 
paint containing a very little of it will be slow in dry- 
ing, while a greater amount will result in a very sticky 
paint. 

Corn Oil. — As this is not used by the painter little 
need be said about it ; besides which its cost is now too 
great to make it a rival of linseed oil. It was once 
very cheap, and then paint and putty makers tried to 
work some of it in, but of course, not with success. 
It is a poor drier. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 313 



Soya Bean Oil. — A semi-drying oil much talked 
about by paint makers. It may be used in connec- 
tion with linseed oil, but used alone it will not pro- 
duce as tough a film when dry as does linseed oil; 
it does not absorb oxygen from the air to anything 
like the extent that linseed oil does. 

Poppyseed Oil. — A drying oil, the cold-drawn oil 
being almost water white, while the hot-pressed oil has 
a pale, golden-yellow color. It is an expensive oil, 
and it is apt to be adulterated with walnut oil, in which 
case it is not suitable for fine white zinc and white 
enamel paints. It is valued in house painting because 
it will not turn yellow like linseed oil when kept in 
the dark. 

Hempseed Oil. — A good drying oil and has a 
greenish-yellow color. It would very likely be exten- 
sively used as a paint oil if not so costly. 

Menhaden or Fish Oil. — From a small fish, 
larger than a herring. Three grades of this oil are 
produced, crude, brown, and bleached, or "winter 
white." The lower grade, the brown, is sometimes 
used in grinding dark paints, but the bleached is best, 
as the bleaching process eliminates much of the fish 
odor, besides making a clearer oil. Owing to its abil- 
ity to withstand an intense heat, it is found very use- 
ful for paints intended for surfaces subject to great 
heat, such as smokestacks, furnace fronts, etc. Our 
paint experts consider fish oil as the best of the avail- 
able oils in place of linseed oil, though much improve- 
met will first have to be made in the oil to fit it for 
painting purposes in a general way. It dries well, or 
in about the same time as linseed oil, drying with a 



314 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

hard, waterproof film. Treated with litharge at a 
high heat it becomes very dark and yields an offensive 
odor. 

Rosin Oil. — This oil is obtained by distillation 
from rosin or pine gum. This distillation gives sev- 
eral products, the last two of which are rosin spirit 
and rosin oil. Rosin oil is cheap, and some of the 
cheaper linseed oil substitutes contain more or less 
of it. Barrel and cheap barn paints are often mixed 
with it. It dries hard in paint, but afterwards softens 
up, where exposed to the sun, and cracks very badly 
in the shade. It is the worst thinner that could be 
used. 

China Wood Oil. — Known in China as tung oil, 
being obtained from the nuts of the tung tree of that 
country. It has been used by the Chinese for cen- 
turies, for waterproofing boats, for lacquering, etc. 
The color of the oil varies w r ith the manner of its ex- 
traction. In China it is usually heated very strongly, 
which produces a heavy, dark product. It has the 
peculiar quality of drying more quickly in damp than 
in dry weather. An excellent feature is its hard 
drying properties. Used alone it will dry flat, but the 
addition of as low as 10 per cent, of rosin by weight, 
hardened with calcium oxide, will produce a high 
gloss coating, drying to the hardness of a high grade 
copal varnish. It is useful for making the cheaper 
grades of varnish for painters and furniture makers, 
and for dipping. Exposure to the weather results in 
dulling the varnish. This oil has no place in the paint 
shop, being useful alone to the varnish maker, but it 
is well to know something about its character, as 
there are varnishes on the market in which tung or 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 315 



China oil forms a prominent part. Such varnishes, 
when properly made, are very durable, resisting acids, 
alcohol, hot water, etc. 

When not darkened over much by heat the wood oil 
is clear and somewhat yellow of color, and has a 
peculiar odor, something between castor oil and lard 
oil. With scarcely any taste, it is the most rapid of 
the drying oils, drying in about twenty-four hours. 
Linseed oil dries from the surface, but wood oil dries 
uniformly throughout. 

Wood oil has a greater body or viscosity than lin- 
seed oil, being considerably thicker, consequently does 
not possess the penetrative power of linseed and will 
not adhere so well. Owing to its waterproof character 
and its peculiar affinity for rosin it enables the var- 
nish maker to produce a cheap varnish of durable 
quality. A varnish containing 50 per cent, of rosin 
made without the addition of wood oil, will turn white 
if immersed in water for a short time, whereas, with 
an addition of wood oil there will be but little change, 
the total amount of oil in the varnish being the same 
in both cases. China wood oil is superior to linseed 
oil in one respect only, and that is the toughening 
characteristics it gives to linseed oil varnishes con- 
taining rosin. It cannot be and is not used in place 
of linseed oil, but merely in addition to the latter in 
certain percentages. Even then it cannot be used in 
its raw state, but must undergo certain treatments 
first. Recently there has appeared on the market a 
paint oil composed of linseed oil and a treated wood 
oil, which has given fairly good satisfaction. 



316 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



DRIERS 




RIERS for linseed oil may be divided into 
two classes, oil driers and resin driers. 
Those belonging to the latter class are 
generally called japans. Of these two 
classes there are numerous varieties dif- 
fering in color, consistency and their ability to dry 
linseed oil. The function of a drier in an oil paint 
is to absorb oxygen rapidly and convert the film into 
a hard insoluble product. The linseed oil during 
this process is changed into linoxyn. However, the 
action of the drier does not stop here, but continues 
its oxidation until the paint film is eventually de- 
stroyed. 

Oil driers are made in this manner : A certain 
amount of linseed oil is put into a kettle and heated. 
Drying salts are added, usually salts of lead and man- 
ganese, and the oil run up about 500 F. In run- 
ning the oil up to this temperature it gathers consid- 
erable head and must be whipped down. The tem- 
perature is allowed to drop and turpentine, or a mix- 
ture of turpentine and benzine, added. 

Resin driers are made in much the same manner, 
except that resin is used in place of linseed oil. 

Of these two classes oil driers are to be preferred, 
because they exert a less harmful action on the paint 
film. 

The drying salts used in the manufacture of driers 
are quite numerous, but those which find the widest 
application are salts of lead, manganese and cobalt. 
Only recently have cobalt salts come into favor, and 
it is claimed they are less harmful in their action. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 317 



They affect the color of the oil only slightly. We 
must not overlook the properties of the thinning me- 
dium as a drier. When turpentine alone is used, it 
adds to the drying- power, but when benzine is used 
it exerts no such influence. 

Temperature and humidity are important factors 
in influencing the rate of drying. As a general rule, 
the higher the temperature the more rapid is the dry- 
ing, and the lower the temperature, the slower the 
drying. Humidity seems to exert less influence than 
temperature. 

Some pigments influence the ra?te of drying quite 
considerably. Thus, lampblack dries very slowly. 
This effect has been attributed to oil which it con- 
tains, but tests made from lampblack containing ab- 
solutely no oil give the same results. I am inclined 
to believe that this phenomena is due to the physical 
properties of lampblack, and that owing to its ex- 
treme fineness a lampblack film cannot breathe with 
the same facility as an ordinary film. We know 
that a paint film made from linseed oil and lamp- 
black is very durable, and this durability is no doubt 
due to the inertness of the lampblack, and that it has 
no oxidizing influence on the oil. On the other hand, 
lead compounds, such as white lead and red lead, 
do have an influence on the oil, so that the chalking 
of white lead may be due in a measure to the fact 
that white lead itself exerts a drying action. Cer- 
tain lakes and aniline colors are affected by driers. 
In some cases the shade is affected to a considerable 
degree, due to the influence of the metallic salts in 
the drier. The bleeding of para reds has been at- 
tributed to the destructive influence of driers. 

The abuse of driers seems to be the use of more 
than the requisite amount necessary to dry the paint 



318 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



film. If the drier used were an oil drier the effect 
would not be. so serious, but would result in the film 
not having' the usual gloss. If, however, the drier 
were a resin drier, the paint film at first would have 
a very high gloss, but cracking would probably be 
the final result. 

Strange as it may seem, the use of too much drier 
prevents drying. Hard, insoluble linoxyn is either 
not formed, or is dissolved by substances formed by 
secondary chemical reactions, so that the film remains 
tacky. 

New linseed oil, or oil which is not well settled, 
affects the drying. A well settled, aged oil will dry 
more rapidly than one freshly made, for the latter 
contains mucilaginous matter, which settles out with 
age. 

I believe that the more knowledge a painter has of 
the material he uses the better are the results he 
will obtain, and the wider application he will find for 
the material. Now, applying this to driers, if he had 
some definite knowledge of the strength of a drier, 
say it was one to twenty drier, that is, that under 
ordinary conditions, one part of the drier would dry 
to the touch twenty parts of linseed oil in twelve 
hours, he would know just how much to use and he 
would know just what result to expect. 

Coach japan, oil driers and liquid driers are the 
vehicles most used in house paints and are subject 
to more abuse than all other liquids together. 

Coach japans usually contain a gum (Kauri, Ma- 
nila, or rosin) and are designed for paint which is 
meant to dry exceedingly hard. Oil driers are gen- 
erally made without gum and consist of a lead and 
manganese treated oil reduced with turpentine or 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 319 



benzine. The liquid driers are simply a gum or oil 
drier still further reduced with turpentine or ben- 
zine. 

The great abuse of driers is in using too much, 
the result being that the paint is literally burned up 
by oxidation. If there was some standard for the 
strength of the different driers or japans, there 
would be less trouble, but as it is now, every painter 
is obliged to try out each new brand in order to de- 
termine how much to use. 

The manufacturer generally advocates the use of 
3 per cent, as a maximum, knowing that this amount 
is practically safe, but 3 per cent, or 1-32 of a gallon 
of drier to one gallon of mixed paint will produce 
results depending upon the strength and not the quan- 
tity of drier. 

A simple method of determining the strength of 
a drier consists in mixing one fluid ounce of the drier 
with one quart of raw linseed oil, flowing on glass, 
standing upright, and noting the time it takes to dry. 
Comparison should be made with standard samples 
or previous shipments under similar conditions. The 
mere drying of the japan itself on glass is no cri- 
terion, as "crusher's drier," which dries oil 
rapidly, does not dry by itself in many hours. 

Where a 3 per cent, mixture of concentrated oil 
drier gives the required result, it is often necessary 
to add 33 per cent, or more of a cheap liquid'drier 
to produce the same effect. 

Under ordinary conditions raw linseed oil will 
dry in about three or four days, so that if we have 
made a paint consisting only of raw linseed oil and 
a pigment and applied it to a surface it would take 
so long to dry that the dust and dirt of the at- 
mosphere would collect on the freshly painted surface 



320 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



and spoil its appearance when it finally dried. To 
overcome this slow drying of raw linseed oil we add 
driers. 

Pale liquid driers are very light of color, and stain 
very little in white paint, but they are not a strong 
drier, it requiring more heat to make a strong drier 
than is used with the white or pale drier, and the heat- 
ing darkens the drier. 

Oil driers should not contain any gums, rosins, etc., 
being principally linseed oil with siccative properties ; 
it is best for exterior oil painting, as it is less liable to 
crack, etc., being more elastic. But they are slower 
than the japan driers, which ought to be preferred 
whenever quick drying of the paint is desired. Boiled 
oil may be considered an oil drier, because when 
mixed with paint it renders the use of any other driers 
unnecessary. Flat or semi-flat painting requires quick 
drying, hence the stronger japan driers are indicated. 

Paste or patent driers are made in paste form from 
barytes, white lead, zinc sulphate, acetate of lead, and 
boiled oil, all in definite proportions. 

There are many formulas for making driers for 
paints, and of course many qualities, as well as kinds 
for distinct purposes. Care should be observed when 
using, testing a sample when buying and rejecting all 
that do not prove satisfactory. Then hold fast to that 
which does prove good. 

A .good liquid drier should be of a clear amber 
color when spread upon glass, and should dry hard 
and free from tack in eight hours, and after being on 
the glass 72 hours, it should not resist rubbing with 
the finger, but remain firm. 

Testing Japan Driers. — Attach a sheet of white 
paper to a pane of glass, and lay glass on table. Pour 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 321 

three or four drops of raw linseed oil on the glass, 
and on this place a drop of the japan. Incline the 
glass a little as the japan touches the oil, and watch 
carefully the action of the drier. A good drier will 
unite at once with the oil. If the drier refuses to 
mix at once with the oil it is a poor article. Now, 
stir the two together with a pin or similar small ar- 
ticle, and note if it curdles or not. A good drier 
will not curdle the oil it is mixed with. 

Another Test for Driers. — Apply the driers to 
glass and let it dry 36 hours; then take finger nail or 
knife and scratch it. If it flies off in scales it is 
poor. If it rolls up, gummy, under the scratching, 
it is slow but sure, not powerful, also not harmful to 
paint. If the drier cracks while on the glass it is 
brittle. The odor of a drier is not a sure test. A 
liquid drier which, added to the oil in proportions of 
from 6 to 10 per cent., produces a good drying oil, 
that is, a hard and glossy surface when applied to a 
smooth plane, such as glass, in from six to eight 
hours, at ordinary temperature, is a good article. 
Color is not really important as far as quality is con- 
cerned. A light colored drier is every whit as ef- 
fective as a dark drier, but the popular preference is 
for the latter. 

Paint Driers 

For Dark Paint. — Grind the best litharge to a paste 
with drying oil. Add a small portion to the paint that 
is thinned with oil and turpentine, mixing first with 
a little of the paint. 

For White Paint. — Mix together two parts each of 
zinc sulphate and sugar of lead and mix with two 
parts of pure white lead or zinc white. 



322 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



Japan Drier. — To a gallon of raw linseed oil add 
12 oz. gum shellac, 8 oz. each of litharge, burnt um- 
ber and red lead, and 6 oz. sugar of lead. Boil until 
ingredients are dissolved, or about four hours. Re- 
move from fire and stir in a gallon of turpentine. 

Cheap Japan Drier. — Mix together four gallons of 
raw oil, four pounds each of litharge, and red lead, 
and two pounds of raw umber. Boil slowly two 
hours and add gradually y\ pounds of gum shellac 
and boil 30 minutes longer. When well mixed add 
gradually a pound of powdered zinc sulphate, and 
when nearly cold mix in thoroughly seven gallons 
of turpentine. 

Litharge Drier. — This being a very powerful drier 
its use should not exceed 4 parts to 1000 of oil. Red 
lead should be used even more sparingly. 

JAghtning drier is made with or without gums, and 
are benzine mixtures, making a cheaper product. A 
sample made without gum dried on glass in two 
hours, and one made with gums dried in thirty min- 
utes. They are not fit for exterior painting, making 
the paint more or less porous. 

The cheapest driers on the market will dry raw 
oil at the average cost of about ten cents per gallon 
of oil. A good drier, costing twice as much as the 
inferior article, will dry the oil at the rate of four 
cents per gallon, and will do the work well, which 
the cheap driers will not do. These are facts result- 
ing from tests made by a practical paint man. 

Patent or Paste Drier. — This formula is from 

Scott: Paris white 120 parts 

White lead 50 " 

Zinc sulphate 15 

Sugar of lead 10 

Litharge 12 " 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 323 

Grind in 6} gals, pale boiled oil. This drier is 
adapted for all lead and zinc paints. For use with such 
paints as green, blacks, oxides, etc., substitute barytes 
or terra alba for the white lead. 

How Commercial Driers Are Made. — The follow- 
ing formulas are not intended for shop use, but merely 
show about what the manufacturer of driers uses and 
how he does it; it is interesting and useful to the 
painter to know. 

Turpentine Japan Driers: — 

Raw linseed oil 12^ gals. 

Rosin 45 lbs. 

Kauri gum 25 

Red lead 10 " 

Black oxide of manganese . . 8 

Lime 8 " 

Turpentine 25 gals. 

Deodorized benzine yj\ 

Strong, Dark Coach Japan: — 

Raw linseed oil 10 gals. 

Pure lead oxide 20 lbs. 

Borate of manganese ^ lb. 

Black manganese oxide .... 2 lbs. 

Kauri gum dust 2.\ lbs. 

Turpentine 10 gals. 

Deodorized benzine 10 gals 

Double Strength Drier: — 

Raw linseed oil 60 gals. 

Red lead 240 lbs. 

Black oxide of manganese. . 240 

Petroleum oil 40 " 

Turpen tin c Japan : — 

Raw linseed oil 60 gals. 

Red lead 120 lbs. 



324 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



Red oxide of manganese... 120 lbs. 
Turpentine 300 gals. 

Manganese is an excellent drier, but is apt to turn 
white paint a pinkish cast. A combination of lead 
and manganese is best. A high-gloss drier at a low 
price contains much rosin, and no kauri gum. A 
good drier contains kauri, chips it is true, but these 
are just as good for the purpose as whole gum. 

The United States navy now does not require tur- 
pentine in driers and japans, but a high-grade hy- 
drocarbon thinner. I can see no difference in the 
action of that drier from a pure turpentine. They 
don't use any rosin, and they will reject any drier 
containing it. The Government is more stringent in 
its specifications for driers than any other buyer in 
this or any other country. The Government specifi- 
cations can be obtained by writing to the department 
and the tests contained in them are very practical. 

Action of Driers on Paint 

When a film of raw linseed oil is exposed to the air 
at the ordinary temperature a series of very complex 
chemical changes follows. I shall not trouble you 
with details of these changes, but shall simply say that 
under normal conditions there is a progressive ab- 
sorption of oxygen from the air, the effect of which 
is that the oil becomes first viscous, then sticky, and 
is ultimately converted into a solid, elastic body, 
which consists largely of a substance called by chem- 
ists "linoxin." The oil is then said to be dry. The 
process of oxidation does not stop with the produc- 
tion of linoxin, but proceeds, slowly or quickly, ac- 
cording to the local conditions, with formation of 
secondary products, until the film, after reaching a 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 325 

maximum of elasticity and hardness, begins to crack, 
powder and perish, and is ultimately destroyed. 

It has been known for a long" time that if small 
quantities of certain chemically-active metallic com- 
pounds are dissolved in oil, the drying process begins 
sooner and the rate at which oxygen is absorbed is 
greatly increased. Those active chemical com- 
pounds which possess this property are termed 
"driers,'' and their function appears to be that of as- 
similating oxygen fronii the air and passing it on to 
the oil without their own chemical composition be- 
ing materially affected. They have been termed 
"oxygen carriers." 

Typical modern "driers" or "siccatives," are red 
lead, litharge, sugar of lead, linoleate of lead, resinate 
of lead, tungate of lead, borate of manganese, resin- 
ate of manganese, acetate of manganese, oxalate of 
manganese, tungate of manganese, and resinate of 
cobalt, while mention must also be made of Chinese 
wood oil and spirits of turpentine. 

The effect known as chalking or powdering is par- 
ticularly liable to occur in the case of paints which 
contain a preponderance of pigments which are in 
themselves driers. Familiar examples are white 
lead and red lead. The oxidation of the oil in such 
paints frequently proceeds so rapidlv and so far that 
the paint film is burnt up and destroyed. This is 
particularly noticeable when too little oil has been 
used in the composition of the paint, and the effect 
is aggravated when a superabundance of turpentine 
has been used, there being no doubt that in such case 
the turpentine acts, in conjunction with the drying 
pigment, as a very powerful drier. A variety of 
powdering which is preceded with loss of gloss is 
found also in the case of paints whose chief constitu- 



326 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



ent is oxide of iron. The cause of this is different 
from that which induces chalking in the case of lead 
paints, and is usually traceable to physical peculiari- 
ties possessed by oxide of iron pigments. 

Cracking or checking- is a defect which is fre- 
quently due to lack of elasticity in the paint film., and 
this lack of elasticity is not infrequently aggravated 
by the use of an excess of drying material, or by the 
use of drying material of an unsuitable kind. Some 
paints which contain considerable proportions of ox- 
ide of zinc are liable to this defect, which can only be 
overcome by the use of prepared thinning and dry- 
ing materials specially suited to the nature of the 
pigment. 

It appears to be the nature of a paradox to say that 
paint which contains too much drying material fre- 
quently fails to dry. Such, nevertheless, is the case. 
If oxygen is absorbed too rapidly by a paint film., 
secondary chemical action takes place which prevents 
the normal formation of linoxin, and these actions re- 
sult in the formation of a sticky, non-drying product. 
,A precisely analogous phenomenon is observed when 
linseed oil is exposed to the air in bulk, the familiar 
substance known as oil gold-size being produced in 
this manner. 

When paint does not show any tendency to be- 
come hard, even when a considerable proportion of 
drying material is present, but remains wet for an 
indefinite period, unsuitability of the drier is indi- 
cated. Certain driers are slow starters of oxidation, 
but are efficient accelerators of oxidation when the 
process has been started. Linseed oil that is too new, 
or that contains suspended footy or albuminous mat- 
ter, is very liable to retard, or even to inhibit, the 
normal action of driers. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 327 



Temperature exerts a powerful influence on the 
rate of drying, as also does humidity in the atmos- 
phere. At very low temperatures drying is greatly 
retarded, and may even be stopped altogether; and 
it is often found that paint which has been exposed to 
a slow temperature, and in which the drying has been 
checked, does not dry normally afterwards, even 
when the temperature and other local conditions 
have become suitable. Moist or vitiated air retards 
the drying of paint, for the very evident reason that 
there is not a sufficiency of oxygen in direct contact 
with the paint film to enable the oxidation to pro- 
ceed in a normal manner. 

The influence exerted by different pigments on the 
rate of absorption of oxygen by linseed oil is very 
marked, and is an exceedingly complex, and in some 
ways abstruse subject. The precise reason why such 
pigments as lampblack and yellow ochre, which have 
practically no chemical effect on linseed oil, should 
retard the drying of that medium is by no means 
clear, and some of the explanations offered to ac- 
count for the phenomenon appear to be satisfactory 
only to the ingenious gentlemen who propound 
them. When pigments of this kind are in question, 
it is necessary to use a drying material which con- 
tains driers capable of starting oxidation quickly, 
and also capable of promoting the absorption of ox- 
ygen for a considerable period. 



328 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



SOME FACTS AND FIGURES 




'omparative Costs of Paints. — In the 
early part of 1900 a paint making concern 
made some very elaborate experiments to 
ascertain the comparative cost of painting 
with straight lead and with compound 
leads. The full report may be found in The Master 
Painter for June, 1900. The following is a handy 
synopsis of the experiments. The experiments were 
made on a surface basis of 3000 square feet, which 
is about the average surface, exterior, of a house, 
new white pine wood, two coats, each coat with sepa- 
rate estimate. The experiment was also carried fur- 
ther to three-coat work, where the "saving in favor 
of zinc was even more striking:." 



Formula 1. — French process zinc 100 

Linseed oil 75 _ 44 

Formula 2. — Dry white lead, Dutch pro- 
cess 100 

Linseed oil 44 _ 93 

Formula 3. — French process zinc 50 

Dry white lead, Dutch pro- 
cess 50 

Linseed oil 61-30 

Formula 4. — Dry white lead, Dutch pro- 
cess 

Barytes, No. 1 Virginia. 

Linseed oil 38-78 

Formula 5. — French process zinc 50 

Barytes, No. 1 Virginia . . 50 

Linseed oil 61-30 



lbs. 



50 
50 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 329 

Formula 6. — Dry white lead, Dutch pro- 
cess 33-33 lbs-.. 

American process ■ zinc . . . 33-33 

Barytes, No. 1, Virginia. . 33-33 " 

Linseed oil 55-03 " 

The experiments were made with quantities repre- 
sented by grams, which corresponded to the larger 
amounts here given. The proportions are what paint 
grinders use in making liquid paints. The experi- 
ments were not made with a view to show the cover- 
ing capacity of the paints, or to show how well they 
would obscure the cram of the wood, but it is inter- 
esting to note that in no case did two coats prove en- 
tirely satisfactory, though any of them, excepting 
Nos. 4 and 6 would have passed for ordinary two- 
coat work. Nos. 3 and 5 were the most satisfac- 
tory in general results, with No. 5 perceptibly whiter 
in color than No. 3. 

Formula 1. — To cover 3000 square feet, first coat,, 
would take 53.364 lbs. of paint, containing 30.42 lbs. 
zinc and 22.944 lbs. oil. Second coat, 33.36 lbs. paint,, 
containing 19.014 lbs. zinc and 14.34 lbs. oil. 

Formula 2. — First coat, 71.02 lbs. paint, containing 
62.82 lbs. white lead and 28.2 lbs. oil. Second coat, 
55.8 lbs. paint, containing 38.502 lbs. lead and 17.298 
lbs. oil. 

Formula 3. — First coat, 54.576 lbs. paint, contain- 
ing 16.92 lbs. lead, 16.92 lbs. zinc, and 2.736 lbs. oil. 
Second coat, 46.218 lbs. paint, containing 14.34 lbs. 
zinc, 14.34 lbs. lead, and 17.538 lbs. oil. 

Formula 4. — First coat, 67.356 lbs. paint, contain- 
ing 24.246 lbs. lead, 24.246 lbs. barytes, and 18.864 
lbs. oil Second coat, 53.05 lbs. paint, containing 
19.08 lbs. barytes, and 14.88 lbs. oil. 



330 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



Formula 5. — First coat, 45.918 lbs. paint, contain- 
ing 14.22 lbs. zinc, 14.22 lbs. barytes, and 17.478 lbs. 
oil. 

Formula 6. — First coat, 66.26 lbs. paint, containing 
14.14 lbs. lead, 14.14 lbs. zinc, 14.14 lbs. barytes, and 
23.841 lbs. oil. Second coat, 50.8 lbs. paint, contain- 
ing 10.838 lbs. lead, 10.838 lbs. zinc, 10.838 lbs. ba- 
rytes, and 18.286 lbs. oil. 

The report concludes with an estimate of the cost 
of the paint required for covering 3000 square feet, 
three coats, using a separate formula. White lead is 
estimated at 5c, French process zinc a little more, 
and barytes at 4c, and raw linseed oil at 40c. per 
gallon. The cost of painting the three coats, for- 
mulas as given in preceding table, but with an extra 
coat, requiring an extra formula that is not given, 
is as follows : 

Formula 1 $4-2^ 

2 7.8H 

" 3 4.96 

4 • 4-23 

" 5 3.13 

" 6 4.50I 

To find the number of gallons of paint that can 
be made from a mix of 100 lbs. of white lead you 
mav consider that the lead alone is equal to 2f gal- 
lons. Add to this 2f gallons the number of gallons 
of oil, turpentine, drier, etc., and you will have the 
number of gallons of paint produced. 

It is often convenient and effective when soliciting 
business to be able to say what pure lead paint will 
cost per gallon as against anything else the property 
owner would think of using. For this reason is it 
well for each painter to make a memorandum to keep 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 331 



handy showing- the cost of all the materials used to 
mix up ioo lbs. of white lead — cost of oil, turps, 
drier and colors. By dividing the total cost of lead, 
oil, colors, turps and drier by the number of gallons 
of paint thus produced you will get the cost per gal- 
lon. 

Use of Zinc Paint in Belgium. — Specifications 
for painting used by the engineering department of a 
large local government institution in Belgium are as 
follows : Colors are to have a zinc base. White work 
to be painted as follows: 1st 2d 3d 

Coat Coat Coat 
Pure zinc white (20 per cent, oil) . 640 630 670 

Linseed oil . 220 160 150 

Turpentine no 180 150 

Liquid driers 30 30 30 



1000 1000 1000 
The figures refer to parts by weight. 
On old oil work only two coats are to be applied, 
viz., the last two of the above. 

Oil coats for ground color in graining oak : 

Pure zinc white (20 per cent, oil) 610 

Linseed oil . . .1 i 130 

Turpentine I/O 

Yellow ochre 60 

Liquid driers 30 

Exterior Oil Painting : — iooo 

Pure zinc white (20 per cent, oil) 640 

Linseed oil 339 

Liquid driers 30 

IOOO 



332 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



If pale boiled oil is used then too much turpentine 
should not be used, if the paint is to dry with a gloss. 
About one part turpentine to three parts oil will be 
right for interior work, and less turpentine for ex- 
terior work. The proportion of liquid driers should 
not exceed one part to twelve parts oil. The dark 
liquid driers are, as a rule, better than the light, and 
the fairly dark zinc liquid driers will stain white zinc 
paint a trifle, but this will all bleach out after expo- 
sure to sunlight. 

Covering Capacity of Paint. — The covering 
capacity of paint, etc., can hardly be given as a set 
rule, as conditions of surface and character of the 
paint, etc., are variable quantities, yet we have what 
may be taken as standards in the matter, they being 
the results of careful tests made with average con- 
ditions. In practice it has been found, for instance, 
that a good lead and oil paint, one that will not run 
on a vertical surface, applied to a hard, or non- 
absorbent surface, will not cover over 650 square 
feet of a surface. A gallon of paint made from 
lampblack of the best grade will carry more oil than 
any other pigment, and this will not cover more than 
1000 square feet of surface. A fair estimate of the 
covering power of shellac varnish shows that one 
gallon will cover, on white pine, first coat, 400 square 
feet; second coat, 500 square feet; and the same on 
succeeding coats or on any like hard surface. In- 
terior varnish will cover from 350 to 400 square feet 
to the gallon, first coat on bare wood ; and nearly 
600 square feet on succeeding coats. On hard wood, 
filled with paste filler, interior varnish will cover 
from 50 to 75 square feet more of surface than on the 
bare or unfilled wood. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 333 



In painting ordinary outside window blinds of 
average house size, the usual estimate is one gallon 
of paint to 16 to 20 pairs of blinds, this giving an 
allowance for any variation in size or condition. Ac- 
cording to my own observation and experience an av- 
erage pair of blinds will require about a pound of 
green to four pairs, estimating the green in the can, 
before mixing. Green spreads well, covering with a 
very thin coat. 

Covering Capacity of Mixed Paint. — The cov- 
ering capacity of a mixed paint is dependent upon its 
viscosity, the thinner the paint the more surface it 
will cover and the film of paint will also be thinner, 
hence it is the vehicle or liquid in the paint which 
gives the covering capacity. 

It is therefore ridiculous as well as false to claim 
that a paint made with linseed oil as a vehicle can 
cover as much or more than a gallon of linseed oil 
will cover without any pigment in it, as it is a well- 
known rule that for every pound of pigment added 
to the vehicle you must subtract covering capacity. 
Approximately one gallon (7.50 lbs.) of raw linseed 
oil will cover or spread over 350 square feet of dry, 
soft wood (absorbent surface), over 650 feet of hard 
wood (semi-obsorbent), and about 1200 square feet 
of steel (non-absorbent surface). 

Careless spreading of paint will cause a lack of 
uniformity of thickness of a coating; nevertheless, 
in any case the attainment of an average estimate of 
thickness cannot be depended upon. When, however, 
a paint is advertised to cover 1000 square feet to the 
gallon, it means necessarily that the coating must av- 
erage less than 1-576 inch thick, which may be com- 
pared with thin tissue paper. 



334 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



A basis whereby deductions may be made to ap- 
proximate the average thickness of a coat of paint 
on a smooth, flat surface, which does not absorb any 
of the paint, may be readily calculated in the follow- 
ing maimer : 

A legal standard United States gallon contains 231 
cubic inches, and if one gallon of paint is spread over 
a surface containing 231 square feet, the wet paint 
will average 1- 144-inch thick. 

In like manner, should the paint be spread twice as 
far and cover 462 square feet to the gallon, it would 
be 1-288 inch, which thickness can be compared to the 
thickness of the leaves of a book having 288 pages to 
the inch. 

These figures only apply when the paint is applied 
to a surface properly prepared and at a temperature 
of not below 65 degrees ; at a lower temperature they 
will cover from 10 to 25 per cent, less surface. 

There is a limit, however, to the proper covering- 
capacity of a paint. When you go beyond 800 square 
feet per gallon covering capacity, you are doing it at 
the expense of durability, as it has been clearly proven 
that the most durable paints are those which contain 
a large percentage of pigment to the square inch of 
surface, and it is only because carbon black is the 
finest and bulkiest pigment we can see, that we get 
such a large covering capacity without injury to dur- 
ability. 

The vehicle is the weak link of the paint chain, and 
the pigment which best protects the vehicle, or liquid 
portion of the paint longest from decay, makes the 
best paint ; when you reduce the amount of pigment, 
as a rule it increases your covering capacity, but 
when you reduce it so greatly as to not properly pro- 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 335 



tect your vehicle from decay, then you sacrifice dur- 
ability for covering capacity. 

A railway company advertised for paint for struc- 
tural iron, to be made from pure white lead tinted 
with best ochre, to a light greenish-drab. It was to 
weigh sixteen pounds to the gallon, and to cover up 
solidly in one coat not less than 675 square feet of 
structural iron. The best of the paints submitted 
brushed out to the utmost, covered only 566 square 
feet, the lowest one on the list covering only 512 
square feet, and the films of paint in all cases were 
such that a second coat of paint was necessary. 

Mulder, the able Dutch chemist, estimates that 
three coats of lead are equal to five coats of zinc ; the 
difference in the covering of these substances, there- 
fore, is merely a question of labor ; with fewer coats 
one can get a better covering with white lead than 
with zinc, but the same weight of metal will be used. 

There is, however, another sense in which cover- 
ing power is used, which is entirely different from 
the above; that is to say, zinc oxide is said to cover 
33 per cent, more surface than white lead, and a good 
iron paint will cover more surface than either, but 
while zinc white covers one-third greater space than 
white lead, it covers the space with a thinner layer, 
and likewise with iron paint the thickness of the layer 
must be taken into account ; for example, if a paint 
has a spreading capacity of 1000 square feet to the 
gallon, reduced to the thickness of film we have by 
calculation the following: 1 gallon equals 231 cubic 
inches; 1000 square feet equals 144,000 square inches; 
therefore by division 144,00)023 1,000 (.00 14. In 
other words the thickness of the film is fourteen ten- 
thousandths of an inch. It appears, therefore, that 
to have a covering that will protect, the spreading 



336 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

quality of a paint, if too great, is disadvantageous; 
the happy medium produces better results. 

One gallon of paint made from finely-ground Vene- 
tian red in oil, will cover one-quarter more surface 
than a gallon of paint made from the dry pigment. 
The former may be applied quicker, it will be easier 
on the brush, and hold color better. Hence it is 
economy to use the red ground in oil. — V. B. G. 

The Oil Determines Spreading of Paint. — 
Linseed oil is the "spread" in paint, and the number 
of square feet of surface spread over depends on how 
thick the paint is. If of equal consistency, all paints 
made of pure linseed oil will spread over practically an 
equal number of square feet of surface. 

Therefore, if one brand of lead will absorb 5^ gal- 
lons of linseed oil, and another will absorb but 4^ gal- 
lons of linseed oil, it is a fact that each of the 5-3- 
gallons in the first instance, will actually spread over 
more square feet of surface than each of the 4^ gal- 
lons of paint in the second instance. 

This means that all old Dutch process white leads 
are not physically the same, either in the fineness 
of particles or in treatment after corrosion — hence, 
one lead will afford good body with 4^ gallons of 
thinners, while another lead will afford equal body 
with 5^ gallons of thinners. 

Therefore, the paint in the first instance is ma- 
terially thicker than in the second instance — and 
while both have equal body a gallon of the more 
liquid mixture will spread over more square feet of 
surface than the srallon of the thicker mixture, with- 
out sacrificing body or hiding power. It is also well 
to note that the paint of the second instance is by far 
more economical in cost — as well as in spreading 
power and durability. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 337 



ioo lbs. red lead and 6 gals, oil will cover 500 sq. 
yards. 

100 lbs. white lead and 6 gals, oil will cover 550 
sq. yds. 

100 lbs. zinc white and 10 gals, oil will cover 800 
square yards. 

100 lbs. ochre and 27 gals, of oil will cover 800 
square yards. 

100 lbs. lampblack and 200 gals, of oil will cover 
800 square yards. 

For 100 square yards these paints would cost ap- 
proximately as follows : 

200 lbs. red lead at 7c, and 12 gals, oil at 70c. per 
gal., would cost $22.40. 

181 lbs. white lead at yc, and 11 gals, oil at 70c, 
would cost $20.37. 

125 lbs. zinc white at 9c, and 12^ gals, oil at 70c, 
would cost $20. 

125 lbs. ochre at 3c, and 33J gals, oil at 70c, 
would cost $27.08. 

143 lbs. Venetian red at 2c, and 37 gals, oil at 70c., 
would cost $28.76. 

125 lbs. lampblack at 12c, and 25 gals, oil at 70c, 
would cost $32.50. 

125 lbs. oxide of iron at 2c, and 31 gals, oil at 70c, 
would cost $24.20. 

Such 1000 square yards of paint, exposed to the 
elements, lasting so many years, would average an 
annual expense as follows : 

Red lead, lasting 20 to 40 years, $1.07 to 56c. 

White lead, lasting 10 to 15 years, $2.04 to $1.36. 

Zinc white, lasting 4 to 5 years, $5.00 to $4.00. 

Ochre, lasting 3 to 4 years, $7.78 to $5.83. 

Venetian red, lasting 3 to 4 years, $9.59 to $7.19. 

Lampblack, lasting 3 to 4 years, $63.33 t0 $47- 5°- 



338 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



Iron oxide, lasting 4 to 5 years, $6.05 to $4.84. 

The durability of the above named paints is based 
on raw linseed oil. Boiled or prepared oil paints, ex- 
posed to the elements, crack or wash off in about three 
years, no matter what pigment is used. 

The Spreading Capacity of Paints 

Square feet covered by ten pounds of paint of av- 
erage consistency. 

On Wood 

1st Coat 2d Coat 

Red lead 112 252 

White lead 221 324 

Zinc white (oxide) 378 453 

Red oxide of iron 453 540 

Raw linseed oil 756 872 

Boiled linseed oil 412 540 

On Metal 

Red lead 477 

White lead 678 

Zinc white (oxide) H34 

Red oxide of iron 870 

Raw linseed oil I 4 I 7 

Boiled linseed oil 1296 

Approximate Hiding Strength 

Zinc white, spelter made 100 

Lithopone . . 100 

Basic sulphate white lead 5° 

Carbonate white lead 50 

Neutral sulphate of lead 25 

Barytes 2 

Oil o 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 339 

Covering Capacity per Gallon 

The covering capacity of different forms of paint 
stains, varnishes, etc., is an uncertain quantity, yet 
we may offer an approximate table of great value to 
the workman when estimating on work: 
Paint over priming or an old but 

solid surface in good condition, a 

gallon to about. . ., 600 sq. ft. 

Red lead paint, on structural steel 

work, from . . 500 to 700 

Enamel paint, interior 630 to 720 

Floor paint, average surface 400 

Roof paint, ordinary metal surface 500 

Ochre priming, average surface . . . 400 

Oil stain, on an average about. . . . 800 

Liquid stain filler, about 500 

Hard oil, over liquid filler 600 

Hard oil, over paste filler 500 

Varnish stain, about 400 

Flat brick color, reds, 5 lbs 350 

Flat brick color, buffs . , 5 lbs 300 

Black asphaltum varnish 350 

Mixed paint on stone work 250 to 270 

Mixed paint on iron work 600 

Mixed paint on plaster 350 to 450 

Heavy bodied varnish 765 to 810 

Interior paint, over oil paint 750 to 800 

Interior paint, over flat 675 to 720 

Interior varnish, easy flow 800 to 900 

Bronze paint, from 700 to 800 

Paint in oil, first coat, on wood. . . 500 

Paint in oil, first coat, plaster. . . . 500 

Second coat in oil, wood 550 to 575 

Second coat in oil, plaster 550 to 575 

Third coat in oil, wood 675 to 765 



340 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

ioo lbs. of white lead mixed with 
6 gallons of raw linseed oil will 
cover 550 sq. ft. 

100 lbs. of red lead mixed with 6 
gallons of raw linseed oil will 
cover 500 

100 lbs. of zinc white and 10 gal- 
lons of raw linseed oil will cover 800 

100 lbs. of yellow ochre and 27 
gallons of raw linseed oil will 
cover 800 " 

100 lbs. of lampblack and 20 
gallons of raw linseed oil will 
cover 800 

1 pound of mixed paint will cover, 
wood, first coat 4 

Thickness of a Coat of Paint. — From experi- 
ments with an ocular micrometer in connection w r ith 
the microscope, we find that single coats of the same 
paint may vary in thickness from 1-5000 inch to 
1- 1000 inch. The variations in thickness from these 
extremes and intermediate points are due to the vary- 
ing pressure of the brush under the hand of the 
painter. 

Covering Capacity of One Pound of White Lead 

Conditions of surface and quality of the lead may 
vary, so that the following table must be taken only 
as a close approximation. Even different grades of 
pure white lead may vary in their covering power. 
Colors, too, vary in this way. Some paints are short 
and do not cover at all well. Some spread well but 
do not cover well. Some surfaces are more or less 
absorptive. Again, painters differ in modes of ap- 
plication and mixing of paints, especially the priming 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 341 

However, the table here given will show very 
nearly how far one pound of white lead, properly 
mixed, will go, and how long it will take to apply it. 

Lead Oil Covered Time 

Prime coat i lb. 6 oz. 40 sq. ft. 20 min. 

Second coat .... " 4 " 51 " 15 " 

Third coat " 4 " 66 " 15 " 

Taking the above table as a basis, let us estimate 
on the outside of a house, frame, that is 32x32x20, 
taking only the weatherboarding", as estimating in its 
details has been fully treated in my Expert Painters' 
Estimator. There is in this area of weatherboarding, 
2640 square feet. To cover this would require : 

Prime coat 66 lbs. 3 gals. 22 hrs 

Second coat 51 " if " i6£ " 

Third coat 40 " i£ ' •" i6J " 

Totals 157 " 5f " 55 " 



Relative Absorbability of Heat 

Lampblack 100 

White lead 53 

Shellac 43 

Isinglass 52 

Varnishes, about 50 

Polished Metal 14 

India ink 96 

One coat of priming will take on 10 square feet >f 
wood surface, 20 pounds of lead, mixed with 1^ gal- 
lons of oil. 

Two coats, 45 pounds of lead, mixed with 4 J gal 
Ions of oil. 



342 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



Covering capacity on cedar shingles, brushed on : 
One gallon to 150 square feet surface. 

One gallon, two coats, 100 square feet surface. 
Dipping, three gallons to 1000 shingles. One coat 
brushed on after dipping, one-half to three-quarter 
gallons per 1000 shingles. 

Spreading Power of Paint 

The extent of a surface a given quantity of paint 
will cover is dependent upon a number of factors ; 
first, there is the pigment and oil to be considered. 
Volume for volume, a paint made from white lead 
is heavier than a similar paint made from lithopone 
or zinc oxide, and volume is the chief governing fac- 
tor in the spreading power. Another factor is the 
character of the surface on which the paint is spread. 
A pound of paint will go further on a metal surface 
than on a wood surface, because the latter is porous 
and the paint sinks into the surface of the wood, 
while in the case of metal it is non-porous and the 
paint remains on the surface. Different woods vary 
in their porosity, and paint will go further on oak 
than it will on deal or beech. Plaster and cement sur- 
faces are more absorbent of paint than either metal or 
wood. 

Covering power is an important item to be consid- 
ered. This is used to designate two different proper- 
ties of a paint, hence must be differently expressed. 
First, covering power means the amount of surface 
which a gallon of paint will cover with a given num- 
ber of coats. Second, covering power means the den- 
sity of a paint, as, for instance, it will take four coats 
of white lead to cover up a surface that two coats of 
iron oxide paint will hide or cover equally as well. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 343 

In order to distinguish between these two, we will 
call the first, covering' capacity, and the second, cover- 
ing density. 

Amount of Thinners to Use 

Priming, for two-coat work: Thin ioo lbs. white 
lead with 4^ gals, raw oil, ^ gal. turpentine, and driers 
to suit weather, say from a pint to a quart, best grade. 

Second, or finishing coat, 5 gals, raw oil and 1 
quart best driers. 

The above is for summer weather. For winter thin 
with 4! gals, raw oil, 1 quart turpentine, and 1 pint 
best driers. 

For three-coat work, per 100 lbs. lead: Priming 
coat, 4! gals, raw oil, 1 gal. turpentine, and from a 
pint to a quart of best liquid driers. 

Second coat, 4! gals, raw oil, 1 quart turpentine, 
and 1 quart best driers. 

Third coat, 4 gals, raw oil and 1 pint best liquid 
driers. 

It might be better not to indicate quantity of driers, 
as this is so governed by weather conditions, quality 
of drier, etc., as to make any certain directions quite 
impossible. But it may- be said that very little of the 
best driers need be used in any case, certainly more is 
generally used than should be. Many paint troubles 
come from the excessive use of driers. 

The United States Government standard for white 
lead is 92 per cent, pure white lead and 8 per cent. oil. 
It is usually ground in about 8 per cent, oil, a standard 
formula being 92^ lbs. dry white lead to J% lbs. raw 
linseed oil. A gallon of this paste will weigh 8-J lbs. 
In general white lead paste runs from 600 to 700 cubic 
inches to the 100 lbs., averaging about 650 cubic 



344 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



inches, which corresponds to 2.8 gallons per 100 
lbs. This information is given so that you can calcu- 
late the amount of paint which 100 lbs. of white lead 
and oil will give. 

Add to 100 lbs. of paste lead 4 gals, raw oil, and 
1^ gals, turpentine and you will get J.2 gallons of 
paint. 

i cubic foot of white lead in oil weighs 252 lbs. 

1 cubic foot of dry white lead weighs 400 lbs. 

To paint a square of 100 feet of brickwork or 
weatherboard surface, using a paint of average con- 
sistency, two good coats will take from 10 to 15 lbs., 
both coats of the same consistency or thickness. With 
ochre and oil paint it would take about 6 lbs. ochre 
and 4 lbs. of oil. 

To ascertain the cost of a red lead mixture, the 
liquid yield of 3 lbs. dry lead can be safely figured 
at 7-16 of a gallon increase over the amount of liquid 
used. One gallon of this mixture will cover approxi- 
mately 800 square feet of plain painting on galvanized 
iron, one coat. 

The rule has been laid down that all pigments that 
require a large percentage of oil in the mixing are 
superior to those which do not demand so large a 
quantity. Also that the oxides are more durable as 
pigments than the carbonates; thus, zinc and iron ox- 
ide would be more durable paint materials than white 
lead, whiting, etc. The admixture of oxide and car- 
bonate seems to give better satisfaction than either 
alone. 

White Lead 

100 lbs. in oil 2.% gallons 

100 lbs. thinned for priming 9 

100 lbs. thinned for finishing coat *j\ 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 345 



i gal. white lead priming will cover. . . . iooosq. ft. 
i " finishing coat will cover 600 " 
1 " 2 coats, will cover 300 

100 lbs. dry white lead in oil will take 6 gals, lin- 
seed oil. 

100 lbs. white lead in oil contains 1 gal. linseed oil. 

100 lbs. white lead in oil will take 5 gals, linseed oil. 

100 bis. white lead in oil, thinned, needs 2 pints 
drier. 

Test for Paint. — The durability of a paint may 
be estimated from the proportion of driers required 
to harden the paint, the less driers needed the greater 
the durability, paints requiring no driers being the 
most durable of all. To test this rule take two per- 
fectly clean pieces of sheet steel or iron, and paint 
on one of its sides half-inch stripes with red lead, 
litharge (no driers in either), white lead, Turkey um- 
ber, iron ore (mineral red or brown), zinc white, 
graphite, barytes. All but the first two pigments re- 
quire some driers to harden them when mixed with 
raw linseed oil. Now, on the other side paint with 
the same pigments in boiled oil. Observe that there 
are to be two sheets painted alike in the manner indi- 
cated. After the paints have dried and hardened, 
place one of the strips for two or three months in a 
bath of fresh water, or a severer test in salt water. 
When taken from the bath you will doubtless find an 
interesting exhibit. All the paints mixed with boiled 
oil will be blistered, and the iron ore and graphite 
paint can be washed off easily. The side painted with 
the raw oil paints will show the red lead and litharge 
holding fast, free from blisters and protecting the 
metal ; the white lead will show some small blisters ; 
the umber more blisters ; zinc white about the same ; 



346 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



and the iron ore paint full of blisters, large and small, 
besides dyeing the water and being easily wasted off, 
and the graphite and barytes will show a like result. 
Another test for paint is for the resisting power 
of same when exposed to the action of alkalies, which 
have a stronger affinity for linseed oil than has any 
known pigment. Take the second sheet or plate, de- 
scribed above, and place it in a bath of slightly caustic 
potash or soda solution, when it will be found that 
the several paints will dissolve from the surface at the 
following rates of speed, observations being taken at 
five-minute intervals : 

Pigment. Minutes. 

Barytes 20 

Graphite 25 

Zinc white 35 

Turkey umber 55 

White lead 80 

Litharge 115 

Red lead (not completely ) 145 

These tests would indicate that red lead and un- 
heated linseed oil make the most efficient protective 
paint for iron and steel. — Prof. Mat em. 

Estimating at so Much per Ton. — A prominent 
firm of contractors gives us the following method : 
For heavy railroad bridge work they estimate that 
.40 of a gallon will do two coats, arriving at the 
estimate in this way : The first coat requires .24 of a 
gallon, and the second coat .16 of a gallon, making 
in all .40 of a gallon to a ton. For light highway 
bridges they figure that it takes .70 of a gallon for 
two coats, that is, .40 for the first coat, and .30 for 
the second coat, amounting to .70 for the two coats. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 347 

They figure to paint a heavy railroad bridge three 
coats requires approximately .50 of a gallon — .24 
for the first coat, .16 for the second, and .12 for the 
third coat. For light highway bridges they figure that 
it will require .80 of a gallon for three coats, as fol- 
lows: .35 for the first coat, .25 for the second coat, 
and .20 for the third coat. As an illustration of the 
above table, take a light structure containing 600 tons 
of metal, to be painted with three coats. It requires 
.80 of a gallon to coat each ton of this iron three 
coats. Therefore, 600 times .80 gallons equals 480 
gallons for the three coats. 

Paint Figures on Structural Iron Work. — 
The following table, showing the amount of materials 
of the ordinary kind that are required to make a 
gallon of paint, and the square yards of surface that 
can be treated therewith, will be useful to check the 
statements of firms as to the economy in first cost that 
would result from the use of their patent or secret 
process paints. 





Vehicle 


Pounds 


Weight and 


Sq. ft. Sq.ft. 


Paint 


volume = 


of pig- 


volume of 


covered covered 




1 gallon 


ment 


paint 


1st coat 2d coat 


Red lead . 


. Lins'd 
oil 


22.4 


30.4 =1.4 


630 375 


White lead. 


a 


25.O 


33-0 =17 


500 300 


Iron oxide 


a 


24-75 


32.75=2.6 


600 350 


Graphite . . 


a 


12-5 


20.50=2.0 


630 375 


Asphalt . . . 


it 


17-5 


30.0 =4.0 


500 300 



In connection with this table it should be remem- 
bered that light structural work will average about 
250 sq. ft. to the net ton of metal, and heavy struc- 
tural work will run about 150 sq. ft. per net ton, 
while light corrugated steel (No. 20) has 2400 sq. 
ft. of surface to the ton. Roughlv one-half a gallon 



348 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



of paint per ton of structural steel is required for a 
first coat, and three-eighths gallon for the second coat- 
ing, under average conditions. 

Time Required for Breaking Up and Mixing 
100 Lbs. White Lead 

A careful test has shown that a painter can break 
up and mix into ordinary paint ioo lbs. of white lead 
in from 30 to 40 minutes. This is allowing for break- 
ing and mixing as described elsewhere, that is, by 
starting with only a pint or so of oil and adding oil 
gradually until the mass has become a perfectly 
smooth mixed paint, ready for straining, which should 
always be done with any hand-mixed paint. The ad- 
dition of color will take a few minutes more, ac- 
cording to whether the color is simple, that is, with 
one pigment, or with two or more. 

Certainly an average good painter, one who knows 
how to mix paint in white and shades, will be able to 
mix the 100 lbs. of lead into paint within one hour, 
and this is a liberal and safe estimate. 

The consistency of the above white lead paint, that 
is, one mixed by hand, estimating it to have been 
mixed with 4^ gallons of oil, or for a priming coat, 
according to standard specifications, 7 to 9 gallons of 
oil, with turpentine for inside work, or a little in the 
outside work, and not less than 5 to 6 gallons of oil 
for any first-class work, will correspond very closely 
to the consistency of ready-mixed paint. Putting the 
two kinds of paint, the hand-mixed and the ready- 
mixed on the same basis and taking average retail 
prices for ready-mixed paint, we will have about 
$1.82 for the hand-mixed paint, as against $2.25 for 
the ready-mixed paint. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 349 



We have no very definite figures to show the cost of 
mixing - paint by hand, but a very close estimate may 
be made. For instance, to mix up ioo- weight of lead 
into white paint, opening the keg and taking out and 
beating up the lead, adding the oil and mixing until 
of proper paint consistency, also adding driers, mak- 
ing about 8 gallons of paint, might take an hour, and 
some have estimated the time at double this figure. 
Roughly speaking the cost would be about 8 to io cents 
per gallon. Where the shop keeps a man steadily in 
it for mixing all the materials, etc., the cost would ob- 
viously be less for the hand-made than for the best 
ready-made paint. 

Comparative Cost of Hand-made and Machine- 
made Paint 

"Thoroughly practical mechanics in estimating the 
amount of white lead and oil to cover a given surface, 
figure 6 pounds of white lead mixed ready for use, to 
the square (ioo square feet), two coats, and you must 
admit the leading contracting painters have had op- 
portunities to confirm the correctness of their esti- 
mates. 

"Accepting this basis, let us do some figuring. You 
will probably quote : 

ioo lbs. white lead $8.oo 

4^ gals, linseed oil at $1.25 5.63 

% gal. turpentine japan at $1.20 30 

\ gal. turpentine at $1.20 30 

Or a total of $14.23 

for enough paint to cover 16 2-3 squares (1667 sq. 
feet.) two coats. Each gallon of high-grade pre- 
pared paint will cover 3 squares (300 sq. feet"), two 



350 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

coats, or 5^ g-allons will cover 16 2-3 squares; and' 
if you will sell such paint for $2.25 per gallon, it 
would cost your customer $12.38, a saving of $1.85, 
or 13 per cent. This saving is on white paint; if 
colors are used, the saving will be more because you 
must add the cost of tinting colors to white lead and 
oil. 

"Nor is this all; if the consumer mixes his own col- 
ors, he must provide the necessary packages, adding 
to his expense, and possibly suffer considerable an- 
noyance in his attempt to tint his paint to conform to- 
his idea of the shade he wishes to use, and very 
likely mixing either too much or too little for his job. 
If a painter is employed to do the work, it goes with- 
out saying that the time required by him in mixing 
and tinting will be charged in the bill, thus consider- 
ably increasing the cost of the hand-made paint. 

"But prepared paint, already tinted, can be sold at 
the same price as white. That shows the economy in 
a machine-made paint, that is, if the right .materials 
are used in making." — From an article in a paint 
dealers publication. 

A Table of the Relative Weight of Pigments 

The relative weight of a pigment is the weight of 
a pigment in its working state, as distinguished from 
the more scientific figure of specific gravity. 

The specific gravity must not be confounded with 
the relative weight. The specific gravity refers ta 
the material when considered as a solid. The rela- 
tive weight is the specific gravity of the loose pig- 
ment as measured in the market. 

The paint maker, having to deal with technical con- 
ditions, is more interested to know the actual work- 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 351 



ing conditions than he is in the theoretical and scien- 
tific figures. 

We therefore give you below a table showing the 
relative weights of the more important pigments. 

The figures give the number of pounds per gallon 
contained in a gallon measure, loose weight. 

(The relative weight of linseed oil is 7.75 pounds 
per gallon.) 

Asbestine 4 

Blanc fixe 13 

Barytes 17 

Whiting 5! 

Sublimed lead 11 

White lead, Dutch process 15 

Lampblack \ 

Bone black 5 

Frankfort black 6 

Orange mineral 17 

Raw siennas 6^ 

■ Burnt siennas 6 

Red lead 27 

Para reds (average) 8 

Zinc yellow 6^ 

Medium yellow chrome d\ 

Orange chrome . . 12 

Vandyke brown 5-J 

Raw Turkey umber 6 

Burnt Turkey umber 4 

Pure chrome greens (average) 12 

Prussian blue 3 

Chinese blue 4 

English vermilion 15 



352 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



What an Average Painter Can Do In One Hour 

One square yard of three-coat work, ordinary job. 

One square yard of one-coat of flatting or enam- 
eling. 

Five square yards of washing off and calcimining. 

One square yard of oak graining. 

One square yard of sizeing and varnish, on wall 
paper. 

One square yard of two-coat varnish or stain, and 
one coat of varnish. 

One yard of cornice with enrichments and ten tints. 

Three yards^of plain cornice in four tints. 

One single roll of medium grade wallpaper hung. — 
IV. J. Pierce. 

In painting average size outside window blinds I 
have found that it takes about fifteen minutes to the 
blind, or four blinds to the hour, or 18 pairs to a 
nine-hour day. This is a liberal estimate, and a man 
would have to work very steadily to average that 
many blinds in the nine hours. 

Dark blue reflects 6| per cent, of the light falling 
upon it. 

Dark green about 10 per cent. 

Pale red. a little more than 16 per cent. 

Dark yellow, 20 per cent. 

Pale blue 30 per cent. 

Pale yellow, 40 per cent. 

Pale green. 46^ per cent. 

Pale orange, nearly 55 per cent. 

And pale white, 70 per cent. 

To ascertain the amount of paint required to cover 
a given surface, on wood, divide the number of square 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 353 



feet by 200, which will give the number of gallons re- 
quired for two-coat work. The usual estimate for 
ready-mixed paint is that a gallon will cover about 
500 square feet, average surface, on wood or smooth 
metal, one coat. 

To ascertain the number of pounds of white lead 
in oil, as it is in the keg, before thinning, required to 
cover a certain area of square feet, divide the area 
by 18, which will give the amount of lead required 
for doing a three-coat job. 

It should be borne in mind that all estimates are 
simply approximate, surface conditions and thinning 
of paint entering into the problem. 

The paint material required for an average dwelling 
house, excluding glass, will be from 20 to 30 per cent, 
of the cost of the painting, according to an expert. 
The difference between the cost of the very best ma- 
terials and the poor ones is so slight that, excepting, 
perhaps, in the case of a very large contract,' it does 
not pay to use the latter; reputation is a valuable as- 
set, and hence worth keeping. 

A foreman painter for the Pennsylvania Railroad, 
at a convention of Master Car Painters, said : "The 
cost of removing" paint and varnish with remover is 
about one-half of what it is to remove with scrapers, 
as near as we can arrive at it." 

He further stated that the average cost of remov- 
ing paint and varnish from a passenger car by the 
old method of burning and scraping was $88.60, and 
that the same work is done with remover for $42.70, 
a saving of more than one-half. The same propor- 
tionate saving follows in any other work. 

Colors cost from 10 cents to $6.00 a pound ; a good 
many cost from 50 cents to $2.00 a pound. The rule 



354 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

is, the more expensive the color is, the more durable, 
more wear, and more beauty is obtained from it. 
There is a brightness and color strength which cannot 
be produced with cheap materials and inferior work- 
manship. 

Quantity of Oil Required for Grinding Pigments 

The value of this table, comprising as it does only 
a part of the total list of pigments used by the paint 
makers, lies in the fact that the painter is enabled to 
tells something- about the comparative values of differ- 
ent pigments used by him for the amount of oil 
taken up by a pigment indicates its wearing qualities, 
one that takes very little oil not wearing as well as 
the one which requires considerable oil to prepare it 
for use. Thus, where lampblack will require a gal- 
lon of oil to one-quarter pound of pigment, the same 
amount of oil will do for from 32 to 100 pounds of 
ordinary white lead. We all know how durable lamp- 
black or carbon paint is, as compared with white lead 
paint. White lead signs lettered with lampblack or 
ivory black may be seen where the white lead has en- 
tirely worn away, while the letters are still in fair con- 
dition. Of course, carbon is nearly indestructible by 
the weather, while white lead is easily acted upon. 

Dry Pigment. Per cent, of Oil 

Required 

White lead, ordinary, Dutch process 9 

" sublimed or sulphate 10 

Zinc white, American 16 

Blanc Fixe, barium sulphate 30 

Barvtes, natural barium sulphate 9 

Whiting 20 

Gypsum 



22 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 355 



Silica, fine floated 26 

China clay 28 

Asbestine 32 

Lithopone 12 

Chrome yellow, lemon shade 23 

medium shade 30 

orange 20 

deep orange 15 

French yellow ochre 28 

American yellow ochre 26 

Oxide of iron 25 

Venetian red 23 

Tuscan red 27 

Turkey red 28 

Rose pink 55 

Red lead 25 

Indian red, iron oxide, 98 per cent, pure 20 

American vermilion, chrome red 16 

English vermilion, sulph. of mercury 14 

Chrome green, light, chemically pure 21 

" dark, chemically pure 25 

Raw sienna, Italian 52 

American 45 

Burnt sienna, Italian 45 

Raw umber, Turkey 48 

" American 38 

Burnt umber, Turkey 47 

American 36 

Vandyke brown 50 

Mineral brown 24 

Prussian or Chinese blue 50 

Ultramarine blue 27 

Carbon black, gas black 82 

Lampblack 72 

•Ivory drop black 60 



356 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



Bone black 50 

Graphite or plumbago, pure 40 

The number of pounds of dry pigment to be ground 
with a gallon of oil may be determined by multiplying 
the weight of a gallon of oil by 100, and dividing by 
any of the above percentages. Assuming the weight 
of the linseed oil to be 7.75 pounds per gallon, and mul- 
tiplying by 100, we have 775, which, divided by any 
of the above percentages, gives the required number of 
pounds of dry pigment for the mix. Thus, for 
graphite, 775 -r- 40 per cent. = 19.375 pounds of dry 
pigment per gallon of oil. — R. S. Perry. 

Regarding the amount of oil required in the grind- 
ing to paste form of the different pigments used by 
painters, I find a wide difference in figures given by 
various authorities. Thus, while one gives for me- 
dium chrome yellow 30 per cent., another gives only 
26 per cent. Here is a table showing the amount or 
percentage of oil in pigments in paste form, taking 
but a few such: 

Rose pink 30 to 35 

Carmine, French 50 to 55 

Vermilion, American 20 to 22 

English 15 to 18 

" artificial 15 to 30 

Chrome yellow, light 20 

medium 26 

orange 22 

Yellow lake, French 38 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 357 



Amount of Oil Required When Grinding Pigments 

Dry Pigment Required for Grinding 
Name of Pigment One Gallon of Raw Linseed Oil 

Barytes 31 to 106 lbs. 

precipitated 16 to 56 

Zinc oxide, precipitated 8 to 65 

selected 16 to 68 

Lithopone 23 to 87 " 

Sublimated white lead 28 to 1 12 " 

Lead sulphate 26 to 105 " 

White lead, Dutch process 40 to 135 

" quick process 38 to 125 

Yellow ochre, Oxford ochre 15 to 30 

C. P. chrome green, light 30 to 47 

Venetian red, dark 18 to 40 " 

Indian red 21 to 50 " 

Purple oxide 20 to 62 " 

Orange mineral 33 to 101 

Red lead 43 to 147 " 

English vermilion 38 to yy " 

Golden ochre 25 to 50 

Najples yellow 37 to 65 " 

Chrome yellow, light 18 to 56 

" medium 16 to 37 " 

orange 27 to 52 " 

Litharge 83 to 150 " 

Emerald green, genuine 23 to 36 

Raw sienna, Italian 8 to 21 

Burnt sienna, Italian 8 to 2i-|- " 

Raw umber, Turkey 7 to 22 " 

Burnt umber, Turkey : 6 to 23 " 

American 6 to 31 

Prussian blue 3^ to 18 " 

Bone black *j\ to 22 " 



!V 



358 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



MARINE PAINTING 

ed Lead for Iron Vessels. — The painting 
of ships' bottoms, or of any marine metal 
work, has long had the study of scientific 
men, and the general consensus of opinion 
among such is that for iron that has to be under 
water all the time nothing is so good as red dead 
mixed in boiled linseed oil, followed by some varnish 
paint. An oil paint that will stand the test on glass 
under water has been shown to have no protective 
value on iron under water. Salt water, such as sea 
water, according to Andes, is less injurious to oil 
paints than fresh water. Some think raw oil better 
than boiled oil for mixing with red lead for this pur- 
pose. 

A navy yard master painter says that red lead is 
most generally employed by the Government for iron 
work, and he believes that nothing equals it for iron, 
both below and above water, provided one can get 
pure raw linseed oil. 

A good paint for iron, steel, or otherwise covered 
parts of ships exposed to the water shall, in addition 
to preserving the material generally, serve the pur- 
pose of preventing the known injurious effects of 
accumulations of sea animals and alg?e. This is 
obtained by a closely adhering, smooth coating, which 
contains, mixed with it, poisonous substances that 
kill the plants, mollusks, and other organic form- 
ations that attach themselves to the ship's hull, and 
which also possess the property of peeling off in a 
thin layer where the dead organisms are situated, 
without exposing the hull of the ship. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 359 

There are many elaborate compositions calculated 
to effect this object, yet it must be acknowledged that 
to date there is no absolutely sure anti-fouling paint. 

Marine Putty. — The best putty for boats below 
the water line is made as follows : Four pounds of 
burnt umber is boiled in seven and one-half pounds 
of linseed oil (one gallon) for two hours, then two 
ounces of yellow beeswax is added and well stirred 
in. When dissolved, take from fire and allow to be- 
come lukewarm, then stir in and mix thoroughly with 
it eleven pounds of powdered chalk and two pounds 
of uowdered white lead. Knead the mixture, using 
more chalk or whiting until the right consistency. 
Keep in water to avoid getting hard. 

Whiting 15 lbs. 

Portland cement 10 ' 

Sublimed white lead 10 ' 

Litharge 5 " 

Raw linseed oil 1 gal. 

This putty will harden under water. 

Refinishing Hardwood Deck. — To get the best 
results, clean off the deck and apply a good varnish 
remover. After getting the surface clean, mix a 
saturated solution of oxalic acid, and make it hot; 
apply with a rag swab. This will remove any stains, 
spots, etc., and bleach the wood. Apply a coat of 
wood filler. When dry, sandpaper, dust off, and ap- 
ply a coat of best spar varnish. After two days apply 
a second coat of spar varnish. 

A paint that has given excellent results when used 
on the interiors of trimming tanks of submarines is 
made of a graphite pigment and an asphaltic oil thin- 



360 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



ned with benzine. This paint has displayed remark- 
able protective qualities when used under the trying 
conditions mentioned above, and its cost is less than 
one dollar a gallon. Red lead, which costs not far 
from two dollars a gallon, though used generally for 
the purpose mentioned does not give results that are 
even satisfactory, due to the fact that linseed oil films 
do not exclude water, and red lead paint made with 
linseed oil will not adhere properly to a surface that 
has the slightest trace of moisture. 

Another paint that has been used extensively at the 
Brooklyn Navy Yard for uses to which red lead has 
been put, is composed of a pigment similar to Vene- 
tian red, containing iron oxide, calcium sulphate and 
silica, and of specially high quality of linseed oil, 
turpentine and driers. The merit of this paint ap- 
pears to be due to the special quality of the linseed 
oil and the care used in manufacture, and, though it 
is somewhat more expensive than the others men- 
tioned, the paint is much cheaper than red lead, and 
appears to be more effective. 

Cork Varnish for Ships. — In order to protect 
the interior of ships from the humidity caused by con- 
densation upon the metallic walls during sudden 
changes of temperature, the Italian marine has ex- 
perimented with a kind of hygroscopic varnish, or 
coating, the essential compound of which is ground 
cork, which is consolidated by pressure with copal 
and litharge, applied to the walls. It has been found 
that the cork varnish absorbs the watery vapor of 
the atmosphere to the extent of eight or nine grammes 
for every square meter of surface exposed. — Scien- 
tific American. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 361 



Paint for Yachts. — For the white enameled 
yachts, top strokes and combings, the work should 
be primed with pure lead, mixed with equal parts of 
boiled and raw oil, following with two coats pure 
zinc oxide mixed in two parts boiled oil, three parts 
copal varnish and a little patent driers. After thor- 
oughly hardened, it should be given two coats of 
finest carriage or copal varnish. The best protection 
for iron fittings is red lead mixed with boiled oil, which 
may be finished with a less conspicuous color, as red 
oxide or Indian red. 

Boiled Oil. — It is said that ship painters will 
never use boiled oil in a paint that is to be subjected 
to hard usage or jarring, for they claim that it will 
break clear to the wood. They, of course, prefer raw 
oil for all purposes. 



Following are some of the formulas in use on war 

vessels : 

White for Outside Work. 

This paint is intended for such parts of a ship as 
are exposed to the weather. The following formulas 
are for the production of one gallon of paint for first 
coat : 

Formula No. i 

White lead, in oil 7 lbs. 

Zinc white, in oil • • 7 " 

Raw linseed oil ^ gal. 

Turpentine 2 gills 

Japan drier . . 1 gill 



362 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



Formula Xo. 2. 

White lead, in oil 5 lbs. 

Zinc white, in oil 9 " 

Raw linseed oil 3 pints 

Turpentine 4 gills 

Japan drier 1 gill 



White for Inside Work 

This is intended for use in store rooms, maga- 
zines, etc., and the following proportions produce 
one gallon of paint: 

White lead, in oil 7 lbs. 

Zinc white, in oil 7 " 

Raw linseed oil 1 qt. 

Turpentine 1 " 

Ta,pan drier I gill 

Flat White. 

This is intended for inside work in such places as 
officers' quarters. The following proportions make 
one gallon : 

French zinc, in oil 8 lbs. 

White lead, in oil 9 " 

Turpentine 3 pts. 

Raw linseed oil 1 gill 

Japan drier \ " 

Formula No. 2 (Finishing Coat). 

French Zinc, in oil 17 lbs. 

Turpentine 3 pts. 

Patent driers (mixed thin) . . . . -J gill 



the expert house painter 363 

White Enamel or Gloss White 

Formula No. I, for one gallon 

French zinc, in varnish 8 lbs. 

Dammar varnish 5 pts. 

Patent driers \ gill. 

Formula No. 2, for one gallon 

French zinc, in varnish 4^ lbs. 

Dammar varnish 6\ pts. 

Patent driers \ gill 

Spar Color 

This paint is for spars, davits, smokestacks, ven- 
tilators, etc. The following proportions produce one 
gallon : 

White lead, in oil i6\ lbs. 

French yellow ochre, in oil. . i^ 

Venetian red, in oil f oz. 

Raw linseed oil \ gal. 

Turpentine i gill 

Japan drier I gill 

Oxide Paint for Boat Topping 

This paint is intended for use on waterways, inner 
bottoms and all spaces where a quick drying paint is 
necessary. The ingredients are to be mixed and 
ground together in a mill. The following produces 
one gallon of paint : 

Venetian red 5 lbs. 

Spar varnish 3 pts. 

Japan drier 2-5 gal. 



364 the expert house painter 

Paint for Torpedo Boats and Torpedo Boat 
Destroyers 

The color of this paint is bottle green. The fol- 
lowing proportions produce 25 gallons: 

White lead, in oil . . .200 lbs. 

Med. chrome yellow, in oil... 15 " 

Lampblack, in oil 15 " 

Raw linseed oil 10 gals. 

Turpentine 2 " 

Japan drier . . 2 " 

Boat Painting. — An expert boat painter gives 
the following method for painting a new boat: 
Sandpaper smooth and prime with white lead thinned 
with oil, raw, three parts, and turpentine two parts, 
with one part white liquid drier, for a white job. If 
to be done in any color, then tint the priming to suit 
the color. If the exterior is to be green, then make 
a lead color primer. Allow several days to elapse 
before applying the next coat. A week, if possible. 
vSecond coat, if white job, mix equal parts of pure 
lead and zinc white in oil, to be tinted with an oil 
color if the finish is to be in color. Thin with tur- 
pentine and a little drier, so that it will dry nearly 
flat, and allow several days to harden. Then sand- 
paper. For white finish thin a good grade of zinc 
white in oil with a first-class exterior or spar varnish, 
of fairly pale color, to a flowing consistency. For 
colored work, add to this before adding the varnish, 
the desired coloring. Do not flow it on, but brush out 
evenly and not too heavy. If the hull is to be green 
or any other solid color, thin the oil color for the 
second coat, also, so it will dry flat, and add spar 
varnish for the finishing coat. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 365 

To re-paint a boat, scrape off all loose paint and 
let remain any paint that is in good condition; the 
keel will probably require entire repainting, but the 
other bare parts may be touched up, and when dry, 
sandpaper the entire surface and apply a coat of paint 
that gives an egg-shell gloss, after which a finish as 
described for a new boat may be given. 

Painting Canvas Boat. — Mix 7 lbs. white lead 
ground in oil, and 3 lbs. whiting thinned to a stiff 
paste with boiled oil, adding an ounce of common 
yellow soap, dissolved in one-half pint of water; ap- 
ply this to the canvas in a heavy coat, and when it has 
set, but before too dry, scrape away with a knife or 
wide-bladed spatula, excess paint, leaving the can- 
vas well-filled as to its texture. Let dry, then give 
it another coating of the same paint, a little thinner, 
and when dry, sandpaper smooth and finish with any 
desired color of paint, mixed in oil. 

The method used in the British navy yards is sim- 
ilar to the above : Eight lbs. best yellow ochre 
ground in oil, boiled, and 1 lb. of lampblack, in boiled 
oil, are mixed, making a paint with a verk dark green 
hue. To this add one ounce of yellow soap dissolved 
in hot water, one-half pint. Apply stiff, and allow 
three days for drying. Then make up a similar paint, 
omitting the soap, and adding a larger proportion of 
boiled oil, which should dry free from tack in three 
days. After this any oil paint of any desired color 
may be applied. The first two coats make the can- 
vas waterproof and keeps it from rotting or cracking. 
In order to get the best wearing job, avoid inferior 
materials, especially oil, turpentine, and varnish. 

Putty for Boats. — The best putty for boats for 
use below the water line is made on the following 



366 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



formula : Four pounds of burnt umber is boiled in 
j\ pounds of raw linseed oil, this being" equivalent 
to one g'allon. Boil for two hours, then add two 
ounces of beeswax and stir well. When dissolved 
take from fire and allow to become lukewarm, then 
stir in and mix thoroughly with it 1 1 pounds of 
whiting" and 2 pounds of dry white lead. Knead the 
mass well, and add more whiting if necessary. Keep 
in water when not needed. 

The United States navy, after long experimenta- 
tion, painted a large part of its fleet with pigment 
composed of 45 per. cent, zinc oxide, 45 per cent, 
blanc fixe (artificial sulphate of barium), 5 per cent, 
of lampblack, and 5 per cent, of graphite. This was 
mixed with the proper linseed oil and driers, and it 
was found to cost one-third less than the old lead and 
zinc paint which the navy formerly used, and gave 
not only a better looking paint, but one that held its 
gloss longer, and was not acted upon by salt water. 

Steel-covered boats, fresh water, painted below 
water-line with red lead and zinc white, half and 
half, always stood. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 367 




GLAZING SASH 

PAINTER writes to ask whether the 
flat or crown side should go out. The 
flat side fits snug against the muntin, and 
the reverse is the crown or convex side, 
and if one is not careful in fastening down 
the glass, with the crown side down, there is danger 
of breaking it, while with the flat side down there is 
no danger. Moreover, by having the flat side out, 
objects viewed from the inside appear normal, while 
with the convex side in objects are more or less dis- 
torted. 

Fasten the pane of glass securely, so that it can- 
not move around ; if the pane is too small for the 
opening, particularly if too short, the pane will slide 
and cause a shrinking of the putty, which is an eye- 
sore. Drive the sprig or point far enough in to be 
out of the way of the putty knife when glazing, but 
not far enough to miss the edge of the glass. Use a 
sharp chisel for driving, or get one of these new driv- 
ers. Lose no time in placing the lights of glass ; if 
one light is too large, pick up the next, and so on 
until you get one that will fit ; often the lights are not 
cut correctly. At any rate, if none will fit, better cut 
a piece off the glass, rather than cut some of the mun- 
tin away, as many do. 

At the factory they dip the sash into rosin or gloss 
oil, before glazing. The result is that no putty will 
stay on it. Raw linseed oil with a very little driers 
in it, and with a little white lead or none, as you 
nlease, will do. The advantage of oiling, rather than 



368 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



painting, is in the fact that if you are to finish the 
inside natural, you can do so, no paint being on the 
inside of the sash, and the oil priming does just as 
well as white lead priming. Of course, if the inside, 
too, is to be painted, we would prefer to prime the 
sash with lead paint. 

To glaze rapidly one needs considerable more prac- 
tice than the average painter gets, but at the same 
time he can be fast or slow, according to his bent. 
A ten-year-old boy at the factory would make the 
ordinary painter look like a canal boat compared with 
an ocean liner, in the matter of glazing. But factory 
work is seldom done right. I have known painters, 
even some master painters, who absolutely could not 
glaze at all, not knowing how to hold the putty and 
feed it out under the knife. 

Here are some hints : Never handle a sash oftener 
than is necessary; run your putty to a finish in each 
corner ; make one move across the muntin, finishing as 
you go. To begin with, drop each light of glass into 
its place quickly, holding a lot of lights in the left 
hand, while you deal them out with the right hand. 
The sash has been lying on the table; when lights 
are all in, prop the sash up on the table, using a 
block of wood about four inches high, on the side 
farthest away from you ; remove the glass as with both 
hands you bed the sash with putty, puttying with the 
thumb against the muntin. When done, drop the sash 
on the table, taking the block away, and replace the 
glass evenly and firmly on the bedded muntins. Put 
in the points with a stripping machine or magnetized 
hammer; then put on the glazing putty in the same 
way you did the bedding putty, using both hands to- 
gether. Then trim off the putty with the putty knife, 
holding it firmly at the proper angle with the sash. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 369 

Turn over the sash and remove the surplus back 
putty. Stand the sash among those already done, 
and swish some clear, cold water, with a little lime 
in it, over the glass, using a duster to do it with, 
this removing the nibs of putty and grease marks. 
It is done. 

The factory priming of sash I have mentioned, but 
might add that they use Venetian red or burnt sienna, 
or whiting, as may be desired, and according to what 
the finish is to be. These colors are dry and thin- 
ned with glue size, or at best, rosin oil or benzine. 
The putty they use is the worst the paint maker's 
chemist has yet succeeded in producing. 

In the shop priming of sash, oil stain or paint may 
be used, as previously pointed out, and we would in- 
clude the rabbets of the windows in the priming; al- 
low the priming to dry perfectly before glazing. This 
will prevent the absorption of the oil from the putty 
by the wood. For a hurry job, prime sash inside and 
out with either boiled oil or raw oil and a little japan. 
This will dry much faster than lead priming. 

For glazing small lights rapidly try this method 
of bedding them : On a glass slab roll out some putty 
with a glass rolling pin, like dough, the thickness 
depending upon the amount of putty required. Take 
up the putty with an edge of the glass, filling all 
four edges this way, then drop the glass into its 
place and press down. Drive in points and glaze. 

If a light is rather small for the place it is to fill, 
secure it in place by driving a point under an edge, 
to hold it up, the point to be at right angles with the 
light. 

In removing old glass it sometimes pays to take 
the whole sash out, which may be done by unfasten- 
ing the pulleys. 



370 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



Paint Spots on Glass. — These may be removed 
by rubbing off with the edge of a silver coin, or 
a bronze penny, neither of which will scratch 
the glass. Or, dampen a rag with paint re- 
mover or benzol, and the spots will soon soften and 
come off on the rag. 

What Is a Good Day's Work Glazing Small 
Panes? Say size 9x12. The Painters' Magazine 
says that on new and primed window sash with glass 
of this size a man should put in 100 lights per day 
of 10 hours, or 10 lights per hour. This is a rather 
modest estimate, we think. Scott {White Paints and 
Painting Materials), "a pound of putty is estimated 
to run 20 feet of rabbet on regular sash, and 15 feet 
on large rabbets. In the sash factories the boys do 
60 sash, containing nine lights 8x10. This is equiva- 
lent to 1620 feet of rabbet, and should take about 
81 lbs. of putty, including waste." This would be 
540 lights a day. 

It should be remembered, however, that an expert, 
even a boy, who does nothing, day in and out, but 
glaze new sash, will do very much more in a day 
than the painter who works only occasionally at it. 

Removing Glass from Old Sash. — A painter 
says he removes panes of glass from old sash with 
a torch with the flame about one-half on, and he 
has removed 100 at a time this way and never a one 
cracked. Use a small torch. 

Glazing Sash. — It is best to bed all glass, but not 
always feasible, on account of cost. Glass and sash 
rarely fit neatly, and when this occurs it is well to 
sprig the glass so that when turned down or around 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 371 



in handling it will not cause the glass to slide and 
make wrinkles in the putty. Bedding is good where 
there is much crown to the glass, for in sprigging it 
clown there is danger of breakage. A well-glazed 
sash is easier to paint than the other kind. 

Glazing a Skylight.' — -The following idea is 
from the Australian Painter and Decorator: It is 
a habit of glazed skylights to let water through at 
times, owing to defects in the puttying, and the 
method here given has been used for six years on 
flat and sloping lights, and without a single failure: 
First, well prepare, stop, and paint skylight, one 
coat, using stopping while paint is wet. When dry, 
take new fine linen and cut to width so that it will 
cover bar and glass on either side of frame to the 
extent of -§ inch. Then well paint bar and strip of 
linen, and lay on same in wet paint, taking care to 
start at bottom and work up, well rubbing out creases. 
When well dry, give finishing coat. 

Putty Inside or Outside on Sash Door? — 
This is a question for a carpenter to answer. He 
usually hangs such a door with the putty outside, 
so that it will be like the windows. But some car- 
penters place the putty inside, saying that the door 
looks better that way, and we think it does. It 
would depend somewhat upon the character of the 
door, and location. The putty will protect the sash 
from the rain, which would spoil the wood itself. 
Then, as we have already stated, the work looks bet- 
ter in some cases with the putty inside, where it is 
not so conspicuous. The putty is for holding the 
glass in, but more for preserving the wood from the 
weather. We would saw leave the sash door with 



372 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



putty in or out, just as you found it when beginning 
the job. 

Slight Scratches on Window Glass. — These 
may often be removed by rubbing with a pad of raw 
cotton charged with jewelers' rouge powder. 

Scratches on Plate Glass. — If not deep, they 
may be removed by rubbing with a powder made of 
powdered chalk, 60 parts; tripoli, 30 parts; bole, 15 
parts; reduce to a fine powder and mix; wet the 
scratched place with water, then dip a linen cloth in 
the powder and rub, repeating until the scratch is 
gone. If a deep scratch, it will have to be ground 
out with the finest flour emery, such as opticians use, 
and the spot polished with rouge and water upon a 
piece of soft leather; or grind scratch out with a buff 
wheel of wood, fine pumice stone and water. 

Iron Stains on Window Glass.— The rusting of 
wire screens often cause iron stains on window glass 
that are found very difficult of removal. To remove 
them mix up 30 parts water, 7 parts hydrochloric 
(muriatic) acid and a few drops of iodine. Wet a 
rag with the mixture and rub the spots until they 
disappear. Then polish the glass with a clean, dry 
cotton cloth. 

Coating Skylights. — Whiting, 13 ozs. ; ultra- 
marine blue, 100 to 120 grs. ; gelatine, if ozs. ; water, 
24 ozs. To which is added, when mixed : glycerine, 
if ozs.; starch, f oz. ; boiled in 10 ozs. water. After 
all is dissolved, brush it on the glass with a 3-inch 
flat paint brush. Warm the solution every time you 
move the ladder, and stir it. Add water a little at a 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 373 

time as the solution is used, as it will gradually get 
thicker. The best effect can be produced by using the 
solution quite warm, and when the sun shines on the 
skylight. The coating can be easily removed with a 
sponge at the beginning of winter or in the spring 
before recoating. 

Putty Marks on Ground Glass. — 'Tn glazing 
glass I am troubled with the putty making a stain 
that is hard to remove, and I would like to know how 
this work is done so that the job will come out clear 
and clean." The putty may be removed by means 
of an alkali, concentrated lye will do, using a stick 
with a rag on the end, and applying the caustic to 
the putty, which will soon disappear, after which wash 
off with clear water. But it is easy to prevent the 
trouble by rubbing soap over that part of the glass 
liable to get some putty on it. It is difficult to clean 
up the glass when the putty gets on, but by rubbing 
with soap you can use water on it after glazing and 
the soap will cause the oil or putty to fade away. 
Another very good plan is to rub the glass with the 
cut side of a raw potato, leaving it to dry, and then 
glaze. The potato leaves a film of starch, prevent- 
ing the oil or putty from lodging on the glass. 

Window glass exposed to the heat and cold and 
varying winds will, after a number of years, become 
so brittle that it can be cut with a pair of shears. 
It is said that light and darkness have different effects 
on glass, and this alternation alone will cause it to 
become fragile and in time worthless. 

It is almost impossible to remove old windows from 
a building without breaking many of the panes of 
glass. New glass can be handled with much more 
carelessness. 



374 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



There is a certain elasticity about new glass that 
leaves glass which has faced the weather for a num- 
ber of years. 

Street fakers who travel throughout the country 
selling scissors will obtain a lot of old window glass 
and show the crowds how wonderfully their shears 
will cut by clipping off strips of the glass just as a 
person would cut paper, when in fact the feat is due 
to the fact that the glass is actually rotten. 

Tools Used by Glaziers and Glass Cutters 

Glazier's Points. — In the early days of the art 
glaziers cut points from tin, and those taken from 
very ancient window sash are quite tiny. Later on 
points became a factory-made article, zinc being used 
for the purpose, just as now. Old painters can re- 




>»D» 




1 2 o 

■CM O 



member calling these useful little bits of zinc "sprigs," 
and some call them still by that name. Glaziers' 
points come in several sizes, as 3, 2, 1, 00, 000, the 
No. 3 being the smallest, and No. 000 the largest. 
They come in small paper boxes holding £ and \ 
pounds each. The \ pound packages contain all sizes, 
and are sold wholesale in boxes containing 100 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 375 



papers. The ^ pound packages contain Nos. o I and 
2 only. They are packed for the trade in 200 paper 
boxes. 

There are double-pointed points for greenhouse 
and hot-bed use. Sizes Nos. 1, 2 and 2\, each box 
containing 1000 points. This refers to Van Reypers' 
points. 

There are various tools for driving points. One 
hammer has a rotary head, this head being triangular 
in shape, with faces adapted for different sizes of 
points. The fact that this head is rotary, or movable, 
enables you to hold the handle at any angle, while 
the head is flat against the glass. The other end is 
made of malleable iron in the shape of a hammer,, 
useful for hammer purposes. The tool is nickel- 
plated, the angular head being made of tool steel. 
This tool is useful for picture frame makers as well 
as for glaziers, and with care should last a lifetime. 
It is Pitt's patent. It sells for about 60 cents. An- 
other style hammer sells for about 70 cents. 

Hacking Knife. — The hacking knife is designed 
for removing old putty from window sashes, with 
the accompaniment of a hammer. The blades are 
hand-forged, the handles of leather, firmly riveted. 
They should last a lifetime. In sizes they come 3-J, 
4, and 4! inches long, and about i\ inches wide, and 
■§ inch thick. There are knives for light and heavy 
hacking. 

Putty Knives. — These come in various styles, at 
different prices, according to quality of steel and 
degree of finish, etc. There are both stiff and elas- 
tic blades, square and diagonal of point, and double 
pointed or diamond shape. The blades are about 



376 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



four inches long, some being a little longer than this. 
There is also a trowel putty knife, and glazing 
knives, and half-elastic wide putty knives, the latter 
useful for following the torch in burning off old 
paint. The blade is about the width of the flame, or 
two inches, the length being nearly four inches. 
There may also be mentioned "rilling knives," putty 
knives of rather wider dimensions than the regular 
glazing knife, and somewhat longer. They are elas- 
tic. 

Glass-boards are for cutting glass upon, being 
marked off into inches and fractions on all sides, with 




ruled lines across the board both ways. A guide 
rule comes with it, and it is made so as not to warp, 
swell or shrink, making a perfect surface for cut- 
ting lights of glass upon. The straight edge cannot 
slip while cutting, and one board has illuminated fig- 
ures so that it is easy to cut in a dim light, as where 
the cutting is done in a dark part of the shop or 
store, or on a dark day. Every shop should have such 
a board, for many a light is broken owing to the un- 
even surface the cutting is done on, saying nothing of 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 377 



an inexperienced hand. With the glass board, the 
most inexperienced painter can cut safely and cor- 
rectly, and rapidly as well. 

There are several makes, one of which sells at 
about $9.00, the size being 30 by 48 inches. 

Glazier's Rules. — These are brass-capped on 
ends, and are 3, 4, 5 and 6 feet in length. Prices 
range from about $1.25 to $2.75 each, according to 
length. 

Plate Glass Cutters' Rules are brass-capped 
on the ends, and come in two lengths, 7 and 8 feet. 
The prices are about $10 and $12 each. 

Plate Glass Rollers. — This is a sort of pliers, 
intended and used for breaking away edges of plate 
glass. One eleven inches long will cost about $1.50. 

Plate Glass Pliers. — This tool has a wide jaw, 
made for breaking off strips of plate glass after it 
has been cut with the diamond. A ten-inch tool 
costs $1.50. 

Steel Wheel Glass Cutters. — These are de- 
servedly popular for ordinary glaziers' use, as they 
make a good cut, when new, and are very cheap, so 
that it is economy to use them for occasional and com- 
mon work in preference to a real diamond, one mis- 
use of which may put it out of commission. These 
tools come in various styles, some with a single disk 
or wheel, while others contain several, in what is 
called a magazine. In price they range from about 
8 cents each up to about 20 cents. It helps, when 
using these tools, to wet the wheel with turpentine, 
or even with the mouth. 



378 



THE EXPERT KOUSE PAINTER 



Steel Wheel Rotary Glass Cutter. — This tool 
is for cutting glass in circular shapes. The cutter 
disk contains six hardened steel wheels, which can 
be renewed as they wear out. They cost about $3.00 
each. 




Cutter for Plate Glass Factory Use. — This 
tool is quite different in form from any other, and is 
intended only for factory use. In shape it may be 
said to resemble a rubber stamp. It costs about $15. 

Glazier's Diamonds. — These are for ordinary 
glaziers' or painters' use, and may be had in different 
sizes, with a diamond point in size according to price. 
One cutting single thick window glass will cost $5.00. 
One a little heavier and made for cutting double 
thick glass will cost $6.50. Another, made for cut- 
ting double thick glass, with a still larger diamond, 
will cost $10. Every diamond used or placed in one 
of these cutters is tested by an expert before leaving 
the store, hence dealers will not lake one back or ex- 
change one. Hence, it is well to test one before pay- 
ing for it or leaving the store. If unaccustomed to 
using a diamond it is well to get some instructions 
from the dealer. There is a certain way to hold the 
tool and to bear on and cut. The best diamond can 
be ruined at the first cut, if the man is inexpert or 
careless. Diamonds can be reset, when worn or dam- 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



379 



aged. Remember that you should never run the 
diamond twice in the same cut. 

It may be added that glaziers' diamonds may be 
bought for less than $5.00, or as low as $3.50, but 
it is best to pay at least $5.00 for one. 

The Universal Glass Cutter. — It is very easy 
to cut with this popular tool, as it is set squarely on 
the glass, and needs only to be pushed along the 
gauge to insure a clean cut. It has a diamond point, 




with one size for cutting single strength glass, and 
another for double strength. It is handy for carrying 
in the pocket, has a full size key for breaking off, and 
is suitable for use on any ordinary glass. They cost 
$3.00 and $4.00 each, according to size. 

Circular Cutting Machine. — This cuts with a 
diamond point, coming in two sizes, the smaller one 
having a cutting capacity of from ^ inch to 6 inches, 
while the larger machine cuts from 1 inch to 14 
inches. They cost $16 and $22 respectively. 



380 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

Circle Extending Rod. — This machine can be ad- 
justed to cut 6 to 96 inches, having' an extending rod, 
the cutting being done with a diamond point. 

Concerning Window Glass 

The ordinary jobber's stock of American window 
glass consists of about 75 per cent. "B" quality, and 
25 per cent. "A," and of about the same proportions 
in single and double thickness. The usual building 
specifications fall within these limits. 

The only choice in thickness in American window 
glass is between American single, which averages 
one-tenth of an inch in thickness, weighs about 20 
ounces per square foot, and is safe to use against 
ordinarv wind pressure in sizes up to 28x34 inches, 
and double strength glass, about one-seventh inch 
thick, requiring a counterbalance of 26 ounces to the 
square foot, and procurable up to sizes whose sum 
makes 120 inches; that is, 60x60 inches, 40x80 inches, 
or anything within these limits. It is hardly safe to 
use double strength window glass above 40x44 inches 
in exposed situations or in movable sash. If it is 
desired to economize on the cost of plate glass in 
a front, the larger sizes of double strength window 
glass may be used, but only in stationary lights and 
in protected situations. 

The difference in cost between "A" and "B" quali- 
ties throughout the lists will be found to average 
about 10 per cent, for ordinary sizes in single thick- 
ness, with more in the larger sizes and for double 
thickness. It is allowable for "B" quality to con- 
tain, in a minor degree, some of the lesser faults in- 
cident to its manufacture, i.e., "cords" or "strings," 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 381 



small blisters, either from melting or caused by the 
workmanship, small burnt patches ; that is, where car- 
bon from the gas flame of the flattening oven has 
adhered to the sheet. It should never be passed if 
any of these defects are too pronounced, nor if the 
sheet contains stone, surface cords, furnace scratches, 
pipe blisters, or is improperly flattened ; nor if, as 
sometimes happens, small broken pieces of glass have 
become attached to the surface. These fragments 
usually refuse to come off, and besides their unsight- 
liness, are a source of danger to the cleaner. 

In buildings where clear lighting is of no import- 
ance, the "C" quality, or "O.B." machine brand will 
save one cent a square foot, but the buyer must' be 
prepared to pass any defects in glass except "stones." 
By this is meant pieces of foreign matter, clay from 
pots and tanks of material not thoroughly crushed; 
such blemishes are not permissible, because under 
stress and unequal weather conditions they are almost 
sure to crack the sheet and necessitate replacement. 
For ordinary mill, warehouse and cheaper household 
construction, "B" quality is usually specified, keep- 
ing in mind that the smaller the size the less the 
price for the glass, though not, of course, for the 
sash construction. 

The ordinary "A" glass of commerce is the highest 
qualitv the factory produces above "B," very little 
selecting being done above the former. If "AA" is 
ordered from a jobber, he will open a few boxes of 
"A" and select therefrom such sheets as he thinks will 
pass inspection. In "A" glass no cords of any kind 
should be passed, no stones, no gatherers' blisters, 
except the occasional small "blib" caused by the melt- 
ing or very fine dust blisters, nor any glass that is 
wavy enough to distort vision. 



382 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



In specifying any quality and thickness of Ameri- 
can .erlass it is well to require a tank-made, hand- 
blown, natural-gas and dipped brand. 

Hand-blown glass is to be preferred to machine- 
drawn because of its greater reliability in withstand- 
ing the strain due to changes of temperature. 
Machine-drawn glass cylinders were first made by 
one John Lubbers, of Pittsburgh, in 1895, and though 
at first very inferior in quality, have recently been 
much improved. They are not desirable, however, 
when a thoroughly reliable article is called for. 
Tank-made glass is to be preferred to that melted in 
pots, inasmuch as it is made with a salt-cake base and 
not liable, like the pot-melted, to fade in the course 
of time. Dipped glass means that the sheets, hot 
from the lehr, are dipped in hot water and acid, re- 
moving from them all traces of sulphur stain. Glass 
made with natural gas is to be preferred, because it 
carries no excess of carbon, it is not likely to be 
burnt ; that is, have the small particles of unburnt car- 
bon adhere to the surface of the sheet. 

The next step in quality from American is the so- 
called French, which is usually Belgian-made, and 
runs fully 25 per cent, better than corresponding 
American qualities, though it is lighter in weight than 
the corresponding grade of the American, the single 
being usually about one-tenth inch thick and weighing 
17 ounces to the square foot, the double, about one- 
eighth inch thick, and weighing 21 ounces. In small 
sizes, up to 10x15 inches, the French glass usually 
sells in New York at the same price as the American, 
and the difference is not very great up to 16x24 
inches. Above this freight charges, breakage and 
tariff make a difference of four or five cents per 
square foot. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 383 



If the very best blown glass is desired, the English 
must be specified. This is rated by weights per ounce 
to the square foot, and the 21 and 26-ounce quali- 
ties are most frequently used. English glass may be 
readily mistaken for plate glass, as it contains almost 
no waves and no defects except an occasional very 
small blister. In moderate-sized sheets it is generally 
about 2 cents per square foot. 

As to plate glass, there is little to say, American 
glazing-quality plate being the usual specification. If 
a better grade is desired, "silvering" quality may be 
called for, and if the best, "French silvering," this 
last being as near perfect a glass as is produced com- 
mercially. It is almost silver white, whereas Ameri- 
can plate is usually a little green in color. It is pro- 
curable any size and thickness for special purposes ; 
the usual glazing thickness is about one-fourth of an 
inch and weighs three and one-half pounds per 
square foot. The only defects apt to be found in 
plate glass are bubbles, and occasionally a gray spot 
where the polishing is not perfect. An excess of any 
of these imperfections is sufficient cause for rejection. 

Common window glass is made from silica, soda 
and lime. Crown glass is of a higher variety of 
window glass, being produced by a different manipu- 
lation of the blow pipe. It is of greater luster and 
beauty, yet as only small panes can be cut from a 
sheet, it is superceded by other products. Plate glass 
is made from sand, soda, lime, arsenic and charcoal, 
and is formed by casting and rolling on a table ; there 
is much waste in the grinding, and the entire process 
is very expensive. 




384 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



PUTTY 



ommercial Putty. — The formulas used for 
the commercial manufacture of glazing 
putty are approximately correct, and near 
enough for practical purposes, so that the 
putty maker can use his judgment, some- 
thing depending on the physical character of the in- 
gredients used; the finer the whiting, for instance, 
the less is required. For the very best putty, 42 lbs. 
of gilders' bolted whiting to the gallon of raw lin- 
seed oil, is used. With what is called commercial 
whiting, a coarser material, 50 lbs. of whiting to 
the gallon of oil may be used, or perhaps rather less 
than 50 lbs. Foots, for the oil settings, are used in 
some putties, and as this is thicker than raw oil it 
permits the use of less whiting. About 3 parts foots 
to 5 parts raw oil is about the proportion used in this 
grade. Sash putty is what the sash factories use for 
glazing, and it is composed of 70 lbs. commercial 
whiting, 30 lbs. marble dust, 1 gal. raw linseed oil, 
and 1 gal. foots. Foots weighs | lb. more to the gal- 
lon than raw oil. A still cheaper putty is made from 
equal parts of commercial whiting and marble dust. 
The thinners are the same as in the other formula, 
a gallon each of raw oil and foots. The foots is a 
great help in such putties, owing to its varnish-like 
body. Skylight putty is made of 75 lbs. gilders' 
whiting, 25 lbs. dry white lead, 5 lbs. fine silica, 5 
lbs. litharge or red lead, and 2 gals, raw oil. This 
is for filling or bedding. 

What Scott calls "mail order" putty is abouf the 
limit of cheap putties, and is made upon this formula: 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 385 

50 lbs. of commercial whiting, 30 lbs. marble dust, 1 
gal. boiled oil, and 1 gal. 28 parafine oil. Such a 
putty will soon peel from the sash, and will also rot 
when the rain and sun get at it. 

Shop-made Putty. — For a first-class putty, made 
in the shop, here is one of the best formulas known: 
Break up 2 lbs. keg white lead in one quart of raw 
oil, then add 10 lbs. best gilders' whiting, slowly, 
stirring well until the mass is well mixed, then work 
it with the hands, on a board, adding whiting as re- 
quired. 

To make putty on a larger scale, and for general 
use, place in a barrel 100 lbs. best whiting, and pour 
on top of it 18 lbs. raw linseed oil; the raw oil 
weighs 7f lbs. to the gallon. After some hours the 
oil will have permeated the whiting, forming a sticky 
mass. Keep the barrel covered, and when needed for 
use, take a lump out and work it with whiting to the 
proper firmness. This is a very elastic putty, not 
hardening perfectly in less than three years, and in 
some cases may not harden in double that time. Being 
very sticky when taken from the mass, it needs to 
be thoroughly well worked and kneaded, and whiting 
added as required. The more it is kneaded the bet- 
ter it will be. 

Skylight Putty. — A very satisfactory putty may 
be made from paint skins, etc., boiled and made into 
a putty with whiting. Or, to 10 per cent, dry white 
lead, and 90 per cent, best whiting, add boiled oil 
until the mass is of the right consistency, then work 
and knead it, let it lie in a mass on the table for three 
or four days, to sweat out, then knead it more, and 
you will have one of the best skylight putties made. 
As with all good putties, the more it is kneaded the 



386 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

better. The first of these two formulas is especially 
good for iron skylights. The second also is good 
for the purpose, for wood or iron. 

Greenhouse Putty. — This putty must be rather 
soft or elastic, and may be made by mixing together 
9 parts of raw linseed oil, I part beef tallow, and 
enough white lead or whiting or mixture of both, 
to form a putty. This putty never hardens, and 
therefore allows for contraction and expansion. A 
soft putty for hot house sash and skylights : Mix 
together 10 lbs. best whiting and i lb. dry white 
lead, adding enough boiled oil to form a paste, with 
also a little cottonseed oil, say one-half gill. Or beef 
tallow may be used in place of the cottonseed oil. 
A putty made from dry white lead and ordinary 
glazing putty, adding as much dry lead as the putty 
will take, then adding a little glycerine, to make it 
elastic, is recommended by some. Liquid putty, for 
use in a glazing machine, for greenhouse work, may 
be made by adding boiled oil to ordinary putty until 
of the right consistency for flowing from the ma- 
chine. 

French Putty. — Mix -J lb. burnt umber in i lb. 
raw linseed oil, then slowly add equal parts of dry 
white lead and whiting, mixing the mass thoroughly 
and kneading it well. 

Very Hard Putty. — A hard putty to be used as 
soon as made, is made from dry red lead mixed with 
boiled oil and copal varnish. It is useful for brick 
fronts, or any exterior work requiring such a cement. 
It hardens at once. 

Facing Putty. — For facing up defective work, 
and general puttying. Mix equal parts of dry white 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 387 



lead, dry litharge, and best whiting, adding some 
boiled oil, and work to form a soft putty. 

A Very Durable Putty. — Boil 4 lbs. burnt um- 
ber in 7 lbs. raw oil for two hours; stir in 2 oz. bees- 
wax ; take from the fire and mix in 5^ lbs. whiting 
and 1 1 lbs. dry white lead. The perfect admixture 
of the mass is essential to good results. 

Putty for Floors. — Litharge i part, plaster paris 
2 parts, glue 1 part, water 8 parts, cement 4 parts, 
sawdust 2 parts, casein 5 parts, water 30 parts, am- 
monia 3 parts, dry fresh powdered lime 3 parts. A 
cheaper and easier way to cement floor cracks, when 
rather large, is to soak old newspapers in a paste 
made by boiling one pound of flour in three quarts 
of water, adding one teaspoonful of alum. The 
mass should be like common putty in consistency, and 
may be forced into cracks with putty knife. When 
dry it can be painted or stained to match the floor, 
or coloring may be added to the mass. It hardens 
like papier-mache. For small cracks in floors, paste 
wood filler may be used. It may be stated here that 
for wide cracks in floors or elsewhere the putty must 
be non-shrinkable and very adhesive. Large open- 
ings may be fitted with a strip of wood. For large 
cracks try this : Mix equal parts of litharge, fine 
white sand, and plaster paris, add boiled oil, and mix 
to a stiff paste. It adheres well, becomes very hard, 
and will not shrink. 

To Harden Putty. — To make common putty dry 
harder add a little plaster paris. Red lead is also 
good, and for a little slower drying add white lead 
in place of the others. Or use a little turpentine and 
less oil in the mixing. 



388 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



Hard Putty. — Painters sometimes make the mis- 
take of adding - too much lead and varnish to whiting 
putty to make it hard, the result being that it is hard 
and brittle, too, breaking up easily. Better add a lit- 
tle coach japan drier, or, better still, a little red lead. 
A good formula is the following: Add some whiting 
to dry white lead, and thin with gold size japan, add- 
ing a little boiled oil to give elasticity. This makes 
a good, hard putty for use where ordinary putty is 
too soft, as on hardwood, iron. etc. 

Waterproof Putty. — What is called waterproof 
putty, used for glass roofing, is made by melting to- 
gether 2 parts of rosin and i of tallow, adding a lit- 
tle oil. It is used by spreading it out on strips of 
muslin or cotton cloth, one edge of which is applied 
to the framework of the iron, and the other is laid 
over the edge of the glass. 

Making Colored Putty. — Use dry white lead, 
not whiting, for colored putty for matching natural 
finish woods; whiting will not give as pure tints as 
lead. For pine, tint with raw sienna; for oak, tint 
with raw sienna or ochre ; mix burnt sienna and burnt 
umber for walnut, and burnt sienna for mahogany. 
Make the putty a little lighter than the wood, for 
it will darken some in time. 

To Soften Hard Putty. — Heat will soften the 
hardest putty. But it will harden again after cool- 
ing. Break it into lumps and place it in a pan or 
kettle, with enough water over it to cover; then add 
a little raw oil, and let it get quite warm, even hot, 
on the stove. The putty will absorb the oil, and the 
water may be poured off. Then knead the mass well, 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 389 



adding enough oil to make it the right stiffness, and 
keep in a warm place, for it will get stiff again, in 
a cold place. Or hard putty may be placed in a pan 
and set on the back part of the stove, where the 
heat will soften the mass, when it may be worked soft 
with a little oil, adding some whiting to prevent it 
sticking to the hands, then knead it with a half- 
round stick, working out all the lumps and making it 
like dough. Such putty is really better than a freshly 
made one, but should be used at once, as it gets hard 
again, or very stiff. 

Non-shrinkable Putties. — A very elastic putty 
may be made from this formula: 15 lbs. best whit- 
ing, 27 oz. rye flour, and two quarts raw linseed oil. 
Mix and knead well. Another formula is one used by 
some manufacturers for making what used to be 
known as Swedish putty. To 6 lbs. best whiting add 
one quart of water and mix thoroughly. Then mix 
separately 50 lbs. commercial whiting, 6\ lbs. dry 
white lead, and one gallon of raw oil. Mix well to- 
gether, then mix with the first mass, thoroughly in- 
corporating all together. This is said to make an ex- 
cellent putty for wood, iron or stone. 

Making Putty. — The making of ordinary putty 
is a very simple operation, consisting in the mixing 
together of oil and whiting. Yet one must know 
how if he would make a good putty. In the factory 
the oil and whiting are placed in a mill called a 
chaser, heavy iron rolls revolving around and around 
the bottom of the mill, and crushing and fining the 
whiting, and thoroughly mixing the ingredients to- 
gether. Then it is thrown out onto a table to lie a 
few days, to sweat out, or ripen. Then it is placed 



390 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

in the chaser again and rolled more. The more putty- 
is worked the better it is. In the shop the whiting 
and oil must be mixed by hand, first with a paddle, 
then with the hands, kneading it like dough. It 
should lie a few days to sweat out, then be kneaded 
more. 

There are several grades of whiting, the common- 
est being called commercial, which is very coarse and 
dark and damp. Marble dust is also used. Even 
the best grade whiting may be inferior at times, ow- 
ing to imperfect manufacture, for whiting is made 
from lumps of native chalk, it being boiled, to relieve 
it of sulphur. Sometimes the whiting will be badly 
sifted, or levigated, being coarse and full of hard 
pieces and lumps. When whiting contains free lime 
it is bad. In any case, whiting must be made per- 
fectly dry before being used in putty making, though 
this is sometimes omitted by some putty makers, as 
it requires more oil to mix dry whiting than damp. 
Indeed, in making cheap putty, water is added. 
Rosin oil, fish oil, petroleum oil, these are also some 
of the nice things that are apt to get into so-called 
cheap putty. It is unnecessary to add that the use 
of cheap puty is a very poor sort of economy. 

Poor putty always has a vile odor. It is also 
heavier than pure oil putty, for you can put 30 lbs. 
of cheap putty in a can that will hold only 25 lbs. 
of pure oil putty. That would indicate a loss to the 
buyer. You pay for five pounds of waste material 
that you get no good from. Five pounds of good 
putty will fill a lot of nail holes. Some cheap putty 
is made from marble dust and "putty oil," this oil 
being deodorized mineral oil. The putty never be- 
comes hard, and if you chance to get some of it, mix 
some dry lead with it. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 391 



Putty should have the right proportions of ad- 
hesive and cohesive properties, should dry slowly, and 
in drying should expand and fasten to the walls of 
the nail hole or to the woodwork of the sash and to 
the glass; it should not crack, contract, or fall out. 

Putty is sometimes put up in 8 or 12 pound blad- 
ders, this preventing drying out; and it is also put 
in tin cans, this being a particularly good method for 
preserving the putty and keeping it moist. Putty is 
also sold in bulk, in kegs and barrels. The 25 or 
50 lb. tins are to be recommended, for they are handy 
to get at, the covers keep the putty from drying, and 
when empty the tins are useful for paint. Keep the 
lid on. When you have some putty left from a job, 
throw it into the tin, and replace the lid. This is 
better than keeping the putty with water on top. If 
the putty is too soft for use, when taken from the 
can, mix some whiting with it. Lay the putty out on 
a board, and sprinkle some whiting over it. This 
will absorb the excess oil. Some commercial putty 
has lime in it, marble dust, likely, and this hardens 
it very rapidly when exposed to the air. In sashes 
it soon crumbles. Poor putty that has been mixed 
with mineral oil especially will cause white paint 
placed on it to turn yellow, and also will make the 
paint peel off, some of the putty going with it. When 
such a putty is used to fill nail holes over which dark 
paint is applied, it will cause the color to fade several 
shades lighter than the adjoining parts. It causes 
white paint to turn yellow, and retards the drying of 
the paint. When these poor putties refuse to dry 
properly it is a sign that neutral petroleum oil has 
been used in them — add some litharge or red lead. 

In cold weather the problem is to keep the putty 
from becoming too hard to work easily or properly, 



392 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



and in this case add a little glycerine; fish oil or cot- 
tonseed oil also are good. In warm weather more 
whiting is required to keep the putty from being too 
sticky. 

Swedish Putty. — Non-shrinkable, and used for 
wood, iron and stone work. To 6 lbs. best whiting, 
add i quart of water and mix it to a paste. Then 
mix with it 50 lbs. whiting, 6 lbs. dry white lead, and 
a gallon of raw linseed oil. 

Skylight Putty. — Best whiting 15 lbs., dry 
white lead 5 lbs., pulverized silica 1 lb., red lead 1 
lb., raw linseed oil about 3 pints. 

Wood Putty to Match Wood. — Mix some saw- 
dust of the wood to be puttied, or if not feasible, use 
some color with the putty to match the wood, mix to 
a putty with glue size, adding a little whiting, silica 
or barytes for the body, or use just glue and sawdust, 
though this latter is more apt to soften in presence of 
moisture and fall out. 

Mastic Putty.— This is used in a machine for 
glazing greenhouse sash, and is made by adding 10 
per cent, white lead to ordinary putty and using 
boiled oil as the liquid. It must be made thin enough 
to run from the machine freely. This putty must 
have been well sweated out or it will cause trouble 
on the sash afterwards. 

Home-made Putty.' — A painter uses this method: 
In a barrel containing 100 lbs. best whiting he pours 
18 lbs. of pure linseed oil, and when he needs putty 
he goes to the barrel and takes out what he wants 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 393 



and kneads it up for use. This putty will not be- 
come perfectly hard under from three to six years, 
and will never scale or crumble. 

Waterproof Putty. — Useful for aquariums. 
One-half pint each of litharge, fine dry white sand, 
and plaster of Paris; one gill of powdered rosin. 
Mix with boiled oil and add a little paste drier, then 
beat to a stiff putty, which leave stand about four hours 
before using. If let stand more than 12 hours, it 
will lose its strength. This putty will resist fresh and 
salt water. See that the tank or aquarium is per- 
fectly dry before applying the putty. 

Putty for Kitchen Sink. — Powdered litharge 
20 ounces, and powdered dry slacked lime 1 ounce, 
made into a putty with raw linseed oil. 

Quick Drying Hard Putty for Motor Cars. — 
This class of putty should be tough and tenacious, 
and possess a stick-to-it quality equal to every strain 
and sort of service imposed upon it, which service, 
as we all know, is more severe than any to which the 
horse-drawn vehicle is exposed. 

Drawn putty, or glazing putty, as it is locally 
known, is made of one part whiting, best quality, 
one part oil ground lead, and two parts dry white 
lead. Reduce to a plastering consistency with equal 
parts of quick rubbing varnish and coach japan, 
kneading the mass out clean and smooth. This pig- 
ment may be put on one day and sandpapered and 
coated upon the day after. 

General purpose putty sufficiently elastic to meet 
motor car requirements : Three parts oil ground 
lead, two parts dry white lead, and one part whiting, 



394 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



kneaded to a working consistency in equal parts of 
rubbing varnish and gold size japan. 

One part whiting and two parts dry white lead 
mixed to proper consistency in equal parts of quick 
rubbing varnish and pale drying japan, thoroughly 
compounded, gives a quick and hard drying putty for 
car work. 

To Keep Putty in Good Condition. — It is not 
a good plan to pour water on the top of putty in or- 
der to keep it soft. Putty will absorb water in spite 
of its being made from linseed oil. The best plan 
is to pour on the top of the putty keg some raw lin- 
seed oil. This will soften the top of the putty, but 
if when the putty is being taken from the tub, some 
of this is removed, it may easily be stiffened by the 
addition of whiting. 

Some painter suggests wrapping putty in a para- 
ffin paper to keep it from forming a skin on the out- 
side. Very good, perhaps, where you have a small 
lump you don't want to dry out over a few days, say 
some white lead, or even common whiting putty. 

Putty Puckers on Sash. — One has not infre- 
quently seen the paint on the ribs of a greenhouse 
frame and on window sashes, where painted over, the 
putty all shrivelled up. Why is this? The reason is 
not to be found in the paint, but in the putty over 
which it is laid. Much of the putty sold to-day is 
made of inferior materials, especially inferior and 
cheap oil. 

The constituents of good putty are whiting and 
linseed oil. The price of the latter of recent years 
has been a great temptation to cheap makers to in- 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 395 



trocluce cheap substitutes, consequently this shrivels 
up on the surface, and does not dry below, hence the 
puckering, which is so unsightly. For a very good 
putty dry lead can be added to the whiting and oil 
— not a °reat quantity — this will help to solidify and 
harden it, and make it more durable. Sometimes a 
sprinkling of fine plaster of Paris is used to harden 
the putty, but this must not be allowed to stand long, 
or it will have the same effect on the putty as the red 
lead. It should be added as the putty is used. Just 
sufficient for a few hours' work. 

Making Putty. — We placed a pan of whiting on 
the stove and left it there until the whiting was dry. 
Then we rolled it on a board until in a fine powder. 
Then we rolled it into a dough with raw oil, and 
added a little red lead, too. The old shop foreman 
would say: "Now, that is putty." We figured the 
cost at 2\ cents per pound. I can show you glaz- 
ing done with that putty in 1881, and it is as hard 
as iron.— C 'orrespondent. 

You can put 30 lbs. of poor, cheap putty into a 
25-lb. tin. It is heavier than good putty. It also 
hardens quicker when exposed to the air. 

One pound of dry white lead to each nine pounds 
of whiting will give a harder drying putty. By add- 
ing boiled oil instead of raw oil the putty will dry 
quicker. 

Nail Holes Through Putty. — The puttying done 
on priming coat showed through the second coat, of 
white, turning yellow. The oil in the putty was the 
cause. Use a putty made chiefly from white lead in 
oil, to which add whiting and a very little varnish, 
to toughen it, and knead it well. 



396 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



Putty That Will Sandpaper Well. — To make 
a putty that will sandpaper easily and yet remain 
where it is placed, take dry white lead and mix it 
in ordinary brown japan, and add a little lampblack 
and a few drops of rubbing varnish. If the putty 
is desired to sandpaper very easily, a little turpentine 
may be added with advantage. The more varnish 
added, the tougher the putty will become, and the 
more difficult it will be to sandpaper it. 

Colors for Putty. — Ordinary painters' colors in 
oil, preferably transparent colors, such as burnt and 
raw sienna, burnt and raw umber and lampblack, are 
said to be best for coloring putty. Make the putty 
several shades darker than the wood, as all wood 
grows darker with age. 

To Remove Old Putty from Sash. — If the putty 
is very hard to remove try softening it with some- 
thing, either heat or chemical. Here is a method ad- 
vised by Engineer and Fireman, which we have not 
tried : 

Remove the window sash and lay it flat on a 
table, with the putty side up. Take a common spring- 
bottom oiler filled with gasoline and squirt a small 
quantity of gasoline on the putty all around the sash. 
Apply a match, and the heat of the burning gaso- 
line will soften the old, hard putty so that it can 
be removed with a putty knife without cutting or de- 
facing the sash. If the putty is very hard, a second 
application of the gasoline may be necessary. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



397 



SANDPAPER AND ITS USES 




N these days of delicate finishes of woods, 
scratches or cuts by negligent sanding loom 
up conspicuously. Sandpaper, used on 
finish, must be kept moist. Old finishers 
usually split their paper and then moisten 
the back. This is so that the paper will give way 
under pressure rather than to press in on the soft part 
of the wood. An experienced sander will have at 
hand a sponge with which to moisten his paper as 
he uses it. To-day you can purchase sandpaper 
that is coated on both sides, and on which a split is 
started so that when you come to use it, it is merely 
necessary to pull it apart. There are various makes 
of sandpaper, some having preference in one shop and 
some in another. The main thing is to know what 
degree of coarseness or fineness to use, and then to 
see that the men use it properly. 

The following method of folding a sheet of sand- 
paper so that no two sanded surfaces will come to- 




398 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



gether will often prove a great convenience, and a 
whole sheet folded in this manner forms a pad for 
the sandpaper block: 

The sheet is first cut half-way through in the mid- 
dle, as at A in the illustration. The quarter marked 
2 is folded on i (the illustration showing the plain 
side of the paper) ; then this is turned on 3 and finally 
on 4, forming a pad of four thicknesses, no two 
sanded surfaces coming in contact. 

For inside work I would not use anything coarser 
than No. 1 or o, and I would use 00 for finishing. 
Always sandpaper with the grain of the wood, other- 
wise you will make scratches that will have to be 
filled. Some flint paper is nearly as hard as em- 
ery. It is better than the common paper in use, but 
it costs a little more, though it would be more econom- 
ical to use it. — Veteran Painter. 

By chalking the back of the sandpaper it will not 
slip under your hand. Save worn pieces for work 
that requires a well-worn sandpaper. There's a good 
deal of waste with sandpaper by most painters. 

To make sandpaper cut faster, wet it with benzine, 
and to make it cut still faster, add a little ammonia 
to the benzine. Be careful when sandpapering not to 
cut through edges; bear on with even and gentle 
pressure, and go over the surface of the work evenly 
and thoroughly. Apprentices particularly need 
proper instructions regarding this lowly but highly 
important part of the art of painting. 

To cut sandpaper, fold it square, double over, 
sanded side inside, to prevent cracking of the paper. 
Cut apart with an old case knife, which is better to 
use than your putty knife. Then fold again, for use. 
An eighth page size is preferable by car and car- 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 399 



riage painters, and a fourth size page by house 
painters. Square corners with each cut. Hold the 
paper firmly when using it, and to prevent its slip- 
ping under the hand, chalk it on the smooth side. 
Never use more than a double-once piece at a time. 
For small places you may tear off a thin skin of the 
paper, with the sand on it. 

There is a great deal of poor sandpaper on the 
market. It is easily told. Pay top prices and get 
the best. Poor paper will crack badly when doubled. 
If you rub two sanded sides together and the sand 
comes off easily, it is poor. Good paper is tough and 
elastic, the sand holds tenaciously and is evenly sifted 
on, and it cuts clean and fast. 

Sandpaper is indispensable to the painter, although 
he might use steel shaving's for many purposes, ytft 
it would not successfully take the place of the sand- 
paper. A quantity of the various sizes should be 
kept on hand, from the very coarse, or No. 3 to the 
very finest, or Nos. 00, i4, and 2, are the most used, 
and of these a larger quantity should be kept. Keep 
in a dry place, for dampness is fatal to sandpaper. 




400 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



BRIDLING BRUSHES 

ANY ingenious devices have been origin- 
ated for the "bridling" of paint brushes, 
but with the single exception of the old- 
time twine bridling none have been per- 
fectly satisfactory. The latter is the only 
practical way, and will not, in all probability, be 
superceded by any other method. By this hand- 
bridling method, every painter may bridle a brush 
just as he wishes, and to meet any particular pecu- 
liarity of the brush. Yet the method is not without 
its weak points. It requires that a tack be driven into 
the head of the butt of the brush, where it not only 
endangers the integrity of the brush, but constitutes 
a menace to the hand or fingers when handling the 
tool. Also, the bridling, particularly when on a new 
brush, or until the twine becomes set with accumu- 
lated paint, moves down from its proper position, and 
gives the brush a bad working shape. 

Many patents have been issued for brush bridles, 
some of which I have some knowledge of. The first 
I have known were the Sibley bridles, invented by 
a man of that name, residing in Bennington, Vt, a 
merchant. His bridle consisted of a woven web of 
elastic, with a piece of tape at either side, which 
was to be tacked to the head of the brush, the same 
as tacking the old-fashioned way. These bridles 
were made in different sizes to fit the different sizes 
of brushes, and I liked them very well and used 
many of them. But they were a failure from a busi- 
ness standpoint, for the same reason that all pat- 
ented devices for the purpose have failed — painters 
would have none of it. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



401 



Lewis' wire brush bridle was the invention of a prac- 
tical brush maker, and later salesman. 

The Old Way. — Take the twine and hold it 
against the head of the brush, with the thumb, al- 
lowing about six inches to hang loose along the 
bristles and parallel thereto; now bring the rest of 
the twine around and around until you have covered 
the bristles as far as necessary. Some first tie the 




first round of twine where the thumb is holding, but 
many simply pass the twine around and when the six- 
inch end is brought back it is slipped through the 
loop formed and drawn tight and tacked. The re- 
maining end of the twine is now brought back 
around the bristles half way, and there a loop is 
formed, through which the free end of the twine is 
run, drawn tight, and tacked to the brush head and 
cut off. 



402 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



Some place a piece of stiff, smooth paper around 
the bristles before bridling, to keep the bristles 
straight, and after the bridling is done the paper is 
pulled out. 

Common brown twine, of a size suited to the size 
and character of the brush is mostly used for bridling, 
but fishing line, or cord such as is used for plumb 
lines and masons' and carpenters' chalk lines, is bet- 
ter. 

Bridling the brush too tight results in "choking" 
it, twisting the bristles and forming a "swallow tail/' 
and sometimes permanently deforming the brush. 
Draw the twine firmly, but not too tight. If the 
brush is placed in water after bridling it, as many 
do, the water will swell the stock so that the twine 
will become very tight, and this must be allowed for 
in the bridling. 

Soaking the newly bridled brush in water a short 
time prevents the slipping down of the twine, but 
soaking in water is a bad practice. 

The purpose of bridling is to shorten the bristles 
temporarily, and enable better work to be done with 
it. As the bristles wear down the bridling may be 
shortened by removing a portion of the twine from 
time to time. When the bristles of a brush are too 
short to bridle, and it is desired to shorten them 
somewhat, a rubber band serves the purpose well. 




To Bridle a Sash Tool. — The method is very 
much the same as for a larger brush, the fastening 
of the two ends being different. These are some- 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



403 



times tacked with very small tacks, or a slit is made 
in the handles above the binding - and the ends of 
the twine are forced into the slits with a putty knife, 
holding- them perfectly. 

Rag Bridling. — The illustration shows this way 
very clearly. Tie the rag on as shown in the first 
figure, then pull it back and fasten it to the handle by 
tying. 




Breaking in a New Brush. — Here is an old 
idea that will be new to many. It comes from Aus- 
tralia. Make a wooden wedge of sufficient length 
and width, say 2\ inches long by if inches deep, and 
\ inch thick. But this according to size of brush. 
Cut two notches near the top of the wedge to hold 
the bridling. Place the wedge in the middle of the 
bristles, which will keep the bristles in place and pre- 
vent crossing or twisting of same. 



404 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 




The annexed illustration shows a patent bridle of 
perforated zinc, twine and leather. It consists of 
two leather flaps, held at one end between the plug 
and the brush ferrule, the edges of the flaps having 
eyeletted holes to be connected in pairs by cords. 
When the brush has worn down sufficiently the outer 




ends of the flaps with the outer cords may be re- 
moved by cutting, and so on as the wearing continues. 
Near the center of the flaps are holes to receive a 
cord extending transversely through the bristles and 
back again, portions of the cord lying at each side of 
the center, and its ends being tied at one side, as 
shown in illustration. Near the base of the flaps are 
holes for permitting paint to ooze through when 
working the brush back and forth to clean it, but 
when the brush is to be thoroughly cleaned, the flaps 
are turned back. 



Cleaning Under Bridling. — Paint will become 
hard under the bridling, and the twine should be re- 
moved frequently, and the brush cleaned out thor- 
oughly, particularly about the butt bristles, for this 
will give the brush all its original spring or elas- 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 405 



ticity, and the brush will do better work and last 
longer. Yet it is very rarely that such cleaning is 
done. 



c 





Here is an idea of making a bridle of thin metal, 
such as tin or brass, with the edges filed off slightly 
to prevent them from cutting the bristles. The shape 
of the piece of metal for the bridle is shown in the 
sketch. The size can only be determined by the size 
of the brush on which it is to be used. 

The metal is placed around the part of the bristles 
next to the stock, and is fastened by inserting the 
tongue A into and through the slits at the end B. 
The projections C C are tacked to the top of the 
stock in the place where twine bridling is usually 
fastened. 

An Unusual Way of Bridling. — This device is 
taken from an English exchange. Start to wind the 
twine at the place you want the bridle to stop, as 
shown at E. Then, here and there, pull down a few 
bristles over the twine, which is to prevent the slip- 
ping of the bridling. Bring the bristles over and un- 
der the twine to hold them fast. Finish by tying the 
two ends of the twine together, as shown in F. 



406 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTE2 




IHH 



i 



111 

J J llilidiliillj [J ] 1 1 Lililin ] i : i UuU^ [)lu^U\^\^ \\\^\JijiJffiuaiMHl ™''lIiffllHlllliBlll 

Lewis' Patent Wire Bridle 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 407 



Marking the Jour.'s Brush 

Where several men are employed it is necessary 
to mark the brushes so that each man gets his own 
and not another's. Where no system is in force, 
where there is a tank for holding" all the brushes, 
none of which are marked, a man picks up a brush 
and examines it, and if it does not suit, will select one 
that does, always taking the best, of course, and by 
this method there is waste and loss to the master 
painter not inconsiderable. In shops that have the 
private locker system, whereby each man has a place 
to keep his tools and overalls, etc., with a private 
key, a kit of brushes is given him, and the brushes 
are marked with a number. The tools given to the 
man are charged to him, and he is held personally 
responsible for them, and if any are lost or damaged 
he must make good, an easy matter when we consider 
that the boss has his wages in hand. Being marked, 
he can always identify his tools. Now, what is the 
best way to mark the brushes? We are all familiar 
with the initials cut into the handle, which greatly 
disfigures the brush, and when handed to another 
man for his use, the initials are not his. A better 
way is to have small, brass plates with the number 
stamped on, with little brass pins for fastening it to 
the brush. Some have used thin brass with a num- 
ber stamped thereon, and this soldered to the metal 
ferrule, but this involves too much trouble, in solder- 
ing, etc. Another method is that suggested by a 
master painter, as follows : Bore a small hole in the 
handle of the brush, close down to the butts of the 
bristles, and let this hole stand for I. Then, for a 2, 
bore another hole, one-fourth of an inch above the 
first hole, and so on, with holes a quarter inch apart, 



408 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



It being possible by this method to register up to 29 
on an average 6-0 brush, the handle being about "j\ 
inches long. The average wall brush is 5! inches 
long, and can be numbered up to 23. The handles 
of sash tools, dusters, etc., may be thus numbered. 
I am not aware that this plan has ever been tried. 
Other methods may occur to the reader, but in any 
event, it will pay to mark the brushes so that each 
man can be held accountable for its use or abuse. 

It would also be well to stamp all tools with the 
name of the employer. Dishonest men can and do 
steal the employers' brushes and other tools, and 
hence it may be some sort of a safeguard to stamp 
them with your name and address. This can be done 
with a hot branding iron, or metal tag. A painter's 
house, when searched, was found to contain a bushel 
of good brushes, stolen from various employers. 
But there was no way for any employer to identify 
the goods as his. With a mark on the brush, whether 
a jour.'s number or address of the owner, it would 
have been an easy matter to identify any tool. 

Notes on Cleaning Brushes 

— Soak the dirty brush in ammonia water. 

— Do not cut away the hard outside bristles. 

— Creosote oil is a good brush cleaner. 

— Benzine is not as good as coal oil for cleaning 
a brush. 

— Benzine and naphtha gum up oil paint, hence are 
not good. 

— Coal oil does very well in cleaning, and it evap- 
orates. 

— Soak in turpentine and renew fluid now and 
then. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 409 



— Hot turpentine is a ready solvent, but beware of 
fire. 

— Hot oil is useful, but do not let the oil get on 
the ferrule. 

— Soak 24 hours in raw oil, then rinse in hot turps, 
repeating- process until clean. 

— Lye water softens and burns bristles ; even a very 
weak lye will do it. 

— Paint and varnish remover takes the life out of 
bristles, leaving them flabby and without spring. 

— Make a thin paste with washing powder and 
leave brush in over night. 

— It may require 48 hours to do the work with 
soap powder, and afterwards wash out with clear 
water. 

— If hard all through soak in dilute ammonia, then 
rinse with turpentine and wash with soap and water. 

— Make a stout lather with common soap and work 
well into bristles ; lay brush away for some time, then 
wash out the soap, and it is ready for work again. 

— Soak in turpentine, then wash out in soap-suds 
water; then rinse in clear water, and roll the brush 
rapidly between the hands, to dry it out. 

— Some claim to clean out hard old brushes with 
hot coal oil, then rinsing with ammonia water. 

— Before placing in hot turps, wrap the brush in 
paper to preserve its shape. 

— Hang the brush in hot water, below ferrule, 
and when outer bristles are soft, pull them apart with 
pliers, and repeat hot water bath until the center can 
be reached. Then set brush in turpentine ; after a few 
hours, lay the brush on a board and work out old 
paint with putty knife. If not soft enough, boil in 
soapy water, strong suds. 



410 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



Notes on Care of Brushes 

— Fill the brush with soap lather and lay away 
for winter; it will be in good shape for spring work. 

— Clean the paint brush when done for the day. 

— Paint brushes keep well in oil; the oil may be 
used afterwards for some other purpose. 

— Water is only a desirable medium ior paint 
brushes for over night. 

— Have a board near the brush-keeper, and when 
full of paint remove and put up a clean one. 

— A bristle is solid one-third of butt part, the 
other part being a hollow tube, taking up water, and 
so becoming flabby. 

— If kept in water, the paint brush should not be 
left too long without working in paint. 

— Some prefer filling the brush full of paint and 
laying it on a board over night, not in water or oil 
bath. 

— For winter keeping, suspend in raw oil, hole in 
brush and wire through it. 

—Kept in water, suspend by wire run through 
handle. 

— 'Never allow the points of bristles to rest on bot- 
tom. 

— Too long in water injures spring of bristles. 

— Shellac the twine binding of the brush and water 
will not rot it 

— Turpentine makes bristles harsh and divides the 
same so that they will not lie together ; hence, turps 
is not a good medium. 

— Some painters mix turps and raw oil to keep 
paint brush in. 

— Foul water rots bristles ; change the water, keep 
it pure. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 411 



— The brush keeper, especially for varnish brushes, 
should have a cover, to keep out dust. 

— The brush should never be immersed above the 
bridling, at its lower end. 

Change the water daily in summer, and at least 
once a week in winter. 

— Add a little salt or glycerine to the water in 
winter, if there is danger of freezing. Glycerine is 
best. 

— Glue-set bristles must not, of course, be kept in 
water. 

— The very best way to keep paint and varnish 
brushes when not in use is to clean them out and put 
away; even oil is detrimental to bristles, injuring 
spring. 

— Take a candy bucket, paint inside well, and 
place a row of small hooks around inside, near top, 
to hang the brushes on; water enough to cover 
bristles only. 

— Cement-set brushes should not be placed in an 
alcohol mixture, such as shellac, etc. 

Some Practical Brush Notes 

— Never use a brush for other than its original 
purpose. 

— Never keep brushes in either a very warm or 
damp place. 

— The brush will suffer more from neglect and 
careless using than from any other cause. 

— A high-grade chiselled bristle paint brush is best 
for good interior work. 

— If the bristles of a new brush are not straight, 
place a moment in hot water, then straighten them out 
on a board. 



412 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



— Better work can be done with a round or oval 
brush than with a flat wall brush. 

— On large areas more work can be done with a 
wide wall brush than with a round or oval brush. 

— If a brush has suffered from too much heat re- 
store it by placing in the cellar for a while. 

— Better not soak the new paint brush in water, 
but place in oil or paint at once. 

— A little raw oil placed in the butt of the brush 
is a very good thing, better than soaking. 

— As the duster costs less than a good paint brush, 
it is unwise to use the latter in place of a duster, even 
for a very little time. 

— New brushes should not be kept in a dry or 
warm place, particularly near a stove or other source 
of heat, as they are liable to be injured. 

— If a partly worn small brush is cleaned, it will 
make a very good shellac brush, as alcohol softens the 
bristles of a new brush, making them more or less 
flabby. 

— The best new brush will shed a few bristles, but 
if very many are shed there is something wrong. 

— Be careful in breaking in a new brush, for on 
this will depend the future poise, hang, point and 
balance of the brush. 

— If the new brush sheds some bristles, strike it 
gently against the edge of a board or your hand, or 
run against a rough board, to bring out all the loose 
bristles. 

— The stippler should be washed out in warm 
water if in water color, at the close of the day; it 
should not be left in water over night. Same with 
oil color brush. 

— A painter says he places a new brush in raw 
oil and lets it soak as long as he can before using it. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 413 



— Improperly cured bristles are apt to curl badly, 
but improper wiping off of the brush before putting- 
it away for the night is the most frequent cause. 

— Never wipe the paint brush on the edge of the 
pot so that the outer bristles will catch on the edge, 
for that will make them curl or straggle and stand out 
from the rest. 

— If the ends of bristles curl up while painting 
blinds, frill or fret work, dip the ends in hot water 
and they will straighten out. 

— Wear a paint brush to a chisel point, and not to 
a round point; avoid wearing it to a long, slanting 
chisel. 

— Some painters will wear out a brush in much 
less time than others will, it depending on the way 
it is used. 

— It is desirable to keep certain brushes for dark 
paint, others for light color, not changing back and 
forth, which injures the bristles by the cleansing pro- 
cess involved. 

— If the bristles of a new brush come loose, put 
in a damp place for a while, or pour a little warm 
water in the middle of the butt bristles, which will 
swell the bristles and the binding. 

— Another good way to remedy a brush with loose 
bristles is to drive a small wooden wedge between 
the handle and the bristles, so as to tighten them. 

As turps tend to stiffen bristles, if a brush is rather 
soft or flabby, place it in turpentine, or if new use it 
in turpentine staining, for a while, after which it may 
he used in paint, the bristles much stiffen 

— The brush made soggy by the water bath may 
be soaked in turps, papered up, and left to dry. If 
originally a good brush, this will restore it to its 
original elasticity. 



414 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



— Too much driers in paint gums up the brush. 
Clean off at night, work out in some coal oil, before 
putting away. 

— If th;e ferrules are covered with hard paint, 
scrape off after soaking with paint remover or lye,, 
a wire scrub being good, and benzol or alcohol make? 
a good softener. 

What Brush Makers Tell Us 

— Many painters say that whalebone is used in some 
paint brushes; not so, never so used. 

— The process of bleaching bristles injures them, 
hence the white bristle brush is not as good as you 
think. 

— Black Russia hog bristles are better than black 
Chinese hog bristles, hold more paint, and wear bet- 
ter. 

— The black and natural white or yellow Russia 
bristles are equally good. 

— Bleaching is done simply to make the brush look 
better. 

— Bleaching with sulphur fumes injures the bristles. 

— Bristles held by a metal ferrule and held entirely 
by mechanical pressure, will not be affected by any 
liquid nor be subject to shrinkage. 

— The brush stamped "cement set" is intended for 
use in paint, varnish, paste and water colors, and 
should never be used in shellac or other alcoholic so- 
lution. 

— The brush stamped "glue set" is for use in shel- 
lac and varnish only, nor should it ever be put in 
water. 

— Good paint brushes will be found with several 
lengths of hair in the middle; if the short bristles 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 415 



were put on the outer side, the brush could never be 
broken in with a good cutting edge, but it would 
wear to a pencil point. 

— Take a hog bristle between thumb and finger 
and work it to and fro, holding it parallel with the 
finger, and it will travel in one direction only. Try it. 

— Chiselled paint and varnish brushes are not 
ground, but have the bristles arranged to form the 
chisel shape, by the mould; taking an ordinary brush 
and grinding it down would result in some very stiff 
bristles and a very poor brush. 

— A good Russian or Siberian bristle brush will 
do finer work, wear longer, carry a heavier load of 
paint, and distribute it more evenly than a Chinese 
bristle of the same size, style, weight and length. 

— The flat duster for painters was introduced about 
1886, and~ many prefer it to the old duster, but the 
latter, too, has its advantages. The flat duster gets 
into the corners. 

— To bleach bristles, wash in soft water and soap 
suds, then rinse in clear water. Make a solution of 
sulphurous acid and water and place the bristles in it, 
and after two days remove and wipe dry. 

— A solid bristle brush lacks spring, and the paint 
gets into the center and makes matters worse. The 
hollow center brush is the result of years of experi- 
menting, and is the best. 

— The nearest imitation of hog bristles is horse 
hair, which lacks elasticity. Tampico looks like hog 
bristles, and that is all. There is no substitute as 
good as the original. 

— To test bristles : the odor from a true hog bristle 
when burned will be that of burned ham, or pork, 
and it will leave no ash, and will fizzle in burning. 
A hog bristle tapers to a point, and is split at the 



416 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



point, making" what we call the flag; taken between 
thumb and finger and worked to and fro, the bristle 
held parallel with the finger, it will, of its own ac- 
cord, travel in one direction only. 

Fiber burns like wood, with no unpleasant smell,. 
and it will leave an ash. 

— Round and wedge-shaped brushes are shaped by- 
moulds. Then the bristles are ground to a fine point 
on pumice stone. 

— The pound brush got its name from the fact that 
the handle used to be driven through by pounding it. 
Weight has nothing to do with it. 

— For large surfaces the flat wall brush is best 
because it fits the hand better and more paint can 
be spread. 

— Horsehair is of the same thickness throughout 
its length, while hog bristle tapers to a fine point, and 
has a horny appearance. With a small microscope 
you may discover any defects and distinguish imita- 
tions from the real. Bristles may be dry, etc., show- 
ing inferior value. 

— You may tell Russian or Siberian bristles from 
Chinese by the different sheen, also by its flag, and 
by the greater amount of barb, or roughness that is 
like that on a wheat beard. There is very little of 
this barb on Chinese bristle. 







f0 






gtt==gggr^ == r^ggjTj 


A 






~~ ^jftl 


^f^^^ 




ill 






"-*! 




li 


lis 


= 


5 


***s^B 



Prevents Paint Running Down On Handle 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



417 



SCAFFOLD WORK 



How to Handle Scaffold Ropes 

HE elementary forms of a knot consist of 
the bight, the loop or turn, and the round 
tarn. The illustrations show these forms 
too well to need further description. 

The figure eight knot is used for making 
a knob on the end of a rope for keeping the strands 
from untwisting, and is easily untied. Form a bight 
near the end of the rope, give the short end one com- 





Fi^ee&<}HtKhot. $tevedo6e5 Kmot 4H0AHAUF Hitch 

£0MeiHEP 



rjALF Hitch 



TiMBEfc HlT<TH 




.^cAFFtfLD Hitch. 



fl<H2>- 



418 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



plete turn about the long rope, and pass it up into 
the bight, Fig. 4. Pull short stick or shackle as in 
Fig. 5, and the knot may easily be untied. 

The stevedore's knot is made the same as a figure 
eight knot, except that it has two turns instead of one, 
and may be made either with or without a shackle, 
as shown in Figs. 6 and 7. It is used for making an 
extra large knob on the end of a rope. 

There are several kinds of hitches, some of which 
we are apt to use incorrectly. Sometimes a half -hitch 
is merely a loop around the rope with the free end 
pinched between the rope and the post or whatever 
it may be hitched to. 

A timber hitch is made by passing the rope around 
a stick of timber, taking a half-hitch around the rope 
and then passing the free end once more between the 
rope and the timber. 

A timber-hitch and a half-hitch combined is useful 
for long articles, say a plank or scaffold, which must 
be kept in line with the pull of the rope and the plank. 
The half-hitch should be around the plank and around 
the rope. By means of this hitch a plank scaffold may 
be kept firm, with no danger of turning. 

Figs. 11, 12, and 13 show another knot useful for 
hanging planks or scaffolding securely. Draw to the 
left the rope in the left hand, Fig. 11, and to the right 
the rope in the right hand, same figure, gaining the 
position shown in Fig. 12. Turn the plank over, 
draw the ropes up above it, join the short end to the 
long rope by an overhand bowline, pull the bowline 
tight, at the same time adjusting the length of the 
two ropes so that they hold the plank level, and the 
hitch is finished as shown in Fig. 13. Attach a second 
rope to the other end of the plank in the same way, 
and the scaffold is readv and safe. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 419 



The Care and Use of Ropes 

Buy the best, which may be indicated by the price. 
A rope should be of a bright, clean, new appearance, 
otherwise it may be made of poor and inferior stock. 
Dampness is hard on rope. Keep the scaffold ropes 
in a dry place, neatly coiled and hung up. 

It is a common practice to coil four strands of 
falls at one time; a better way is to pull the two 
blocks together and lay the rope around them in a 
neat coil, then securely tie in the usual way. 

When coil is to be opened it should be turned up- 
side down and hoisting rope attached to the hook 
on the upper block, and a light line fastened to hook 
on lower block, in order to pull same down again. It 
will be seen that this is an easier way. First, it is a 
much lighter lift to get tackle to roof, a fact that 
is greatly appreciated when it comes to a lift of six 
or eight stories; secondly, it helps to avoid many 
twists that occur in the other method; and thirdly, 
it allows you to adjust the falls more readily to the 
height of the job at hand. 

When in use for hauling up the scaffold the rope 
is bending and straightening as it goes around the 
pulleys, causing the strands to chafe at the center of 
the rope. The smaller the pulley the worse this be- 
comes. For this reason the ropes should be run over 
a pulley of a diameter not less than eight times the 
diameter of the rope. Rope for transmitting power 
should have pulleys forty times the diameter of the 
rope. 

Knots make a rope weak because the rope is bent 
in order to form the knot, and the outside takes the 
strain at the bend. These are overworked and break. 



420 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



The strain now rests on fibres below, which in turn 
weaken and break. 

It makes considerable difference even in the way a 
rope is coiled. Because of the way it is twisted in 
the making, it should be coiled as with the hands of 
a clock. In uncoiling, the end last laid down should 
never be pulled up from the top. If for any reason 
this must be done, turn the whole thing over and 
draw the end up through the center. 

A good preservative against dampness is copper 
sulphate, or bluestone, making a strong solution of 
this and immersing the ropes in it for about three or 
four days. The ropes should be dry when put into 
the bath. After taking them out of the bath, hang 
up where they will dry out soon and do not put them 
away until perfectly dry. 

More About Tying Knots. — The advantages of 
a good knot are: its ease of tying and untying, its 
freedom from slipping, and its requiring very little 
rope to make. It also increases the confidence of its 
user. The knots here shown are loosely made in 
order to show clearly their true formation. A good 
test of proficiency in making knots consists in doing 
the work in the dark. 

All knots will jam more or less when under a 
strain. A true knot will hold, not let go. 

The names usually given to knots, and their uses, 
are as follows : 

i. Bight of a rope. 

2. Overhand or thumb knot — To prevent a rope 
from running out through the sheave of a block. 

3. Figure 8 knot — Used same as No. 2. 

4. Stevedore knot — Useful when the rope passes 
through an eye. It is easily untied after being 
strained. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



±21 




422 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

5. Square or reef knot — Useful in joining two 
ropes of the same size. However tight it may jam, 
it is easily untied. 

6. Granny or thief knot — This knot is not a safe 
one, and is the one most commonly tied by people. 
It is frequently tied in mistake for a square, knot. It 
is likely to slip under a strain, and it is hard to untie 
when set. Some say it does not slip, though it will 
jam tight. In any case it is not a desirable form of 
knot. 

7. Single sheet bend or weavers' knot — Used prin- 
cipally for joining two ropes of unequal sizes more 
securely than a reef knot. 

8. Double sheet bend — A more secure knot than 
No. 7. 

9. Carrick bend — Used in fastening the four guys 
to a derrick. 

10. Flemish loop. 
1*1. Slip knot. 

12. Bow line — For making a knot that will not 
slip; as safe a knot as it is possible to make. Useful 
when a loop that will not tighten is wanted on the 
end of a rope. After being strained, it is easily un- 
tied. Commence by making a bight in the rope, then 
put the end through the bight, and under the stand- 
ing part; pass the end again through the bight and 
pull tight. This knot should be tied with facility by 
every one who handles ropes. 

13. — Timber hitch — The greater the strain, the 
tighter it will hold. 

14. Clove hitch — Consisting of two half hitches, 
and used chiefly to tie ledgers to standards. On ac- 
count of its simplicity and security, this is the most 
useful of all the knots. 

15. Shows the close hitch around a pole. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



423 



1 6. Round turn and two half -hitches, for secur- 
ing a rope to a ledger or for fastening the guys of 
derricks, shear legs, etc. 

17. Fisherman's bend — Used when a thick rope, 
such as a fall, is made fast to a ring. 

18. Rolling hitch — Used in a variety of ways, but 
chiefly in making fast one rope to another that is 
held taut. 

19. Sheepshank — For shortening a rope when the 
ends are inaccessible. 

20. — Catspaw — An endless loop, used where great 
power is required. 

21. Blackwaller — Easily applied, but requires 
watching, as it is liable to slip. 

The ends of ropes are often left to unravel, and 
often several feet are cut away on this account, when 
by simply binding the frayed ends with twine, or by 
making a wall crown, as shown in the illustration, 
the rope might be saved. 




424 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

An eye or loop spliced in the end of a rope is 
often found useful. With such a rope a simple knot 
may be tied as shown in the illustration ; it is called 
a sheet or becket bend. It may be made double by 
bringing the end around the eye and out through the 
same place. 

Painting a Stack. — A Kansas painter tells how 
he painted a smokestack 53 feet high and 26 inches 
in diameter. He says that he got to the top by tying 
several long, slender poles together, with which he 
pushed a hook to the top of the stack, letting it fall 
over and catch the edge. To this hook was attached 
a rope and tackle. 

A man has a steel stack at his factory 200 feet 
high. It needs painting. There is no ladder at the 
top, and no apparent means of getting there except by 
balloon. This was the problem presented to a west- 
ern mill owner, and he solved it in the following in- 
genious way : A rude parachute, slightly smaller 
than the internal diameter of the stack, was con- 
structed; to this a pail filled with light fishing line 
was attached, and then the parachute was shoved up 
the stack until it passed the draft opening from the 
boilers. The hot gases caught it and rushed the 
whole contrivance up and out of the top of the stack 
in a jiffy, the fishing line in the meantime pa)nng out 
as the pail rose, so that one end remained at the bot- 
tom of the chimney and the other fell to the ground 
outside with the pail. By means of this line a heavier 
rope with a hook catch over the rim of the top was 
sent up, and with this the painter was able to com- 
plete the job. — American Miller. 

Splicing Planks. — The annexed illustration 
shows how to splice two planks so that a stronger 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 425 

scaffold may be had, one that will be strong enough 
to bear the weight required of it. The strap iron 
is fastened to the bottom plank, or may be left un- 




fastened. The same principal is now embodied in 
the patented extension scaffold plank. 

Raising a Ladder. — When you raise a ladder, do 
not raise it with one leg alone resting on the ground, 
but see that both legs are resting there. This will 
prevent strain on the ladder, which in turn causes 
the rounds to become loose. Also, in taking the lad- 
der down, be careful and do not take it down on a 
strain, remembering that there is a right and a wrong 
way for doing even so simple a thing as this. 

It seems very simple to see two men put a ladder 
up against a wall, but it needs care and a knowledge 
of a few little essential things, or a man may be 
maimed for life, or the ladder broken. The "foot- 
ing" of the ladder is most important. It is better 
for two to be at the foot and one to raise it if there 
are only three men, and if two are raising they should 
be of equal height, or nearly so. The one that is 
raising should push up from the sides, and not from 
the rungs, and do it steadily, and not in jerks. When 
there are two raising it, each should take a side and 
push steadily and together. The one "footing" it 
should place both feet upon the bottom rung (not on 
the ground, as it invariably slips), and catching the 
rung above, throw his weight back so as to pull the 



426 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



ladder up. He must never get off the rung until 
the ladder is perfectly upright and then must act in 
concert with the one who is raising. When two are 
"'footing" one should put the left and the other the 
right foot on the bottom rung. When lowering the 
ladder the footer must not get off until the ladder 
is right on the ground. 



Ladder Contrivances. — A handy means of hold- 
ing the top of your ladder a foot or more from build- 
ing — convenient for lettering or painting wide cor- 
nice — is given as follows : Bore half-inch hole 
through side pieces of ladder ten inches from top. 
Take half -inch rod, two feet or more in length, bend 
at right angles two inches from end — this to fit in 
the half-inch hole. From the short bend, twelve 
inches up, bend again — obtuse angle — make two of 
these, one for each side — place under top round and 
in the holes, shape them just right and fix to stay 
in position. ' The rods can be placed or removed in 
a moment. 




Nelson's Extensior Brush Holder 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 427 



Handy Scaffold Bracket. — The device here 
shown is a drawing that I made from a bracket that 
I saw in use by some plasterers repairing the gable 
end walls of a country house. The gable was very 
high, yet a pair of brackets like this, and two poles, 
with planks across the brackets, formed a safe and 
efficient scaffold for two men to work from. As far 
as strength goes, such a scaffold would hold all the 
men that could get on it, providing the brackets were 
close enough together. For the more weight that is 




placed on these brackets the tighter the scaffold will 
hold, for the thrust downwards forces the pole more 
firmly into the earth. The letter A on the illustra- 
tion shows a piece of 3x4, while letter B shows com- 
mon one-inch board. Letter C shows the pole, which 
may be of such length as may be required for the 
height the scaffold is to reach. Placing the light end 
of a pole in the crotch of the bracket it is pushed 



428 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



upwards, against the wall, until the desired height is 
reached. The brackets may quickly be made, and 
then it is only a matter of cutting two tall and slender 
poles. This, of course, cannot be done everywhere, 
but if poles cannot be had, then scantling may do. 

Scaffold Rofes. — The selection of rope is an im- 
portant thing, about which a few hints may be useful. 

A good hemp rope is hard, yet pliant, of a yellow- 
ish or greenish-grey color, and has a kind of sheen, 
silvery or pearly. 

A dark or blackish color shows that in the process 
of curing, the hemp has suffered from fermentation. 

Brown spots point to the fact that the fibres were 
wet when the rope was spun, and it is therefore weak 
and soft. 

Ropes are sometimes made with inferior hemp cov- 
ered with good hemp on the outside; this may be 
found by cutting a piece of the rope and examining it. 

Other ropes are made with short fibres, or of un- 
equal length, or are unevenly spun. 

The first case is disclosed by the woolly appearance 
of the rope, the ends of the fibre projecting, thus 
producing the effect. A close inspection of this kind 
of rope will disclose other faults. A faulty rope is a 
dangerous thing. 

The knots of a scaffold should be frequently exam- 
ined as they settle down, and are liable to give way. 

It is well to reverse the ropes used with the scaf- 
folding, taking it out and changing it end for end. 
In this way, parts that have the least wear will be 
required to take the place of the parts that have had 
most wear. The custom is to allow the ropes to re- 
main in one position until worn out. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 429 

Legless step ladders for outside work are fine. On 
a step ladder of this kind work can be done with 
more ease and faster. It is easier standing on the flat 
step than on a ladder rung, and your pot is before 
you. Have at least three, 6, 8, and io feet long. 
With these you can reach up to 14 feet. 

A Pennsylvania painter tells how he painted a 
steeple. He went to the base of the steeple on the 
inside, and cut a hole large enough for him to crawl 
through. When outside he nailed on cleats one above 
the other, ladder fashion, and began painting at the 
top, removing the cleats as he came down. He did 
the four sides in this manner. This method would 
not, of course, do on a slate or metal covered steeple. 

Step Ladders. — Keep the step ladders in good 
condition. Repair any defect as soon as in from a 
job. Look them up and inspect them. Screw up 
tight and tighten ropes, or replace weak ones. This 
will save money for you, as the same work done on 
the job will take much longer time, and cost more, 
as a man has not the appliances for repairs on the job, 
and if the steps are weak or wobbly the workman 
cannot do as much work from them, being afraid of 
falls. 

How to Carry a Pair of Steps. — Teach the boy 
how to carry a pair of step ladders. It might be 
well for the men to know how, also. Many do not 
know how. In going out of a doorway always pass 
the steps through first, for it is usually the top that 
does any damage by coming in contact with the door 
jamb. Keep your eye on the top of the step ladder, 
clear it first, and the bottom may be depended upon 
to look out for itself. The same with trestles and 
any scaffolding material. 



430 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



Doing Steeple Work. — By the following method 
a man may climb a pole a mile high. Take an or- 
dinary bos'n's chair with a tail (rope) of sufficient 
length. Pass this tail around the pole twice, under- 
neath its own part, and once around above, tucking 
the end under its own part, making a rolling' hitch. 
Get in the chair, take in all the slack rope you can 
get, raise yourself as high as possible, jamming your 
hitch tight. Have now a piece of rope of sufficient 
length, both ends spliced together, pass it around the 
pole, one turn under and one turn over its own part, 
tucking the end under, thus making a clove hitch. 
This is put on about the height of your knees, leaving 
the loops of your rope hanging down. We will call 
this rope a strap. Place a foot in each loop and raise 
yourself up; pushing the hitch on your bos'n's chair 
up as high as you can reach, jam it tight. Sit firm 
in your chair and draw your feet up, strap and all, 
as high as you can; then raise up again, pushing the 
chair up as before, and so proceed until you get to 
the top. 

We sometimes see weather-vanes on the top of a 
rod anywhere from 6 to 16 feet in length above the 
church spire. It is necessary to take the vane down 
in order to re-gild it. An expert says he has taken 
off and replaced vanes by the above method, some 
nine feet long and weighing 50 pounds. He has 
painted many flagstaffs also by this method. The 
bos'n's chair should fit snug to the hips, and thus sit- 
uated your hands are free for the work and you are 
at ease. The sight of a painter climbing a tall pole, 
and when near the top, sliding all the way down again 
is a very sad spectacle, indeed. He should use the 
plan we have given in this account. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 431 



Painting Smokestacks. — In the American Ma- 
chinist, R. P. King- gives an interesting account of 
how he painted five smokestacks, ranging from 35 
to 58 feet in height, at a cost of only $16.60; $10.00 
for paint, and $6.60 for labor. His method of get- 
ting a line on the top of the stack is worth reading: 

"First, I visited the blacksmith and had him make 
five hooks of f-inch round iron. The end of the 
hook is very deep — about five inches — to prevent any 
possibility of its jumping off the chimney. The eye 
was about i£ inches in diameter to allow plenty of 
play for the passage of the rope. 

"Next, I told the millwright I wanted him to help 
me, and we made the pole. The pole was constructed 
on what one might call a scientific principle, and was, 
perhaps, the most noteworthy part of the job. As the 
highest chimney was a trifle less than 60 feet high, 
the pole was very conveniently made of 16-foot 
strips. The upper section was a strip J by about two 
inches ; the second section was a strip £ by two inches, 
with a I by -\ strip nailed to it to form an angle 
shape ; section three was a f by 3-inch strip, with a 
§ by \\ inch strip nailed on to form a T; section four 
was in the form of a cross, made by nailing two § 
by 1 1 inch strips to a | by 3-inch. The laps were 
about two feet, making a pole some 58 feet long. 
This pole was very light and stiff, and was success- 
ful in every way. 

"A pole as long as 100 feet could be constructed in 
the same way, which would be strong enough for the 
purpose, and at the same time easily handled. If the 
sections were screwed together, the pole could be 
stored in a small place, and used from year to year. 

"Four small holes were next bored in the top of 
the pole and the hook was lashed to it with twine in 



432 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



such a fashion that, while it would stay in place, the 
lashings were not so strong but that they could easily 
be broken. A hank of sash cord was procured and 
run through the eye of the hook. 

"One end of a long rope was unlaid and the strands 
cut, to make a good taper about two feet long, and 
an end of the sash cord was spliced into the taper. 
This was in turn wound with twine to make a smooth 
connection between the rope and the sash cord. The 
taper was then well covered with soap to make it 
slide easily through the eye of the hook. 

"It would seem that the next problem was to get 
the hook up over the top of the chimney, but this 
was very easy. We placed the. top end of the pole 
on one of the guys, and by a proper manipulation 
of the bottom end, had it in an upright position in 
no time. The hook was then hooked over the top 
of the stack, and one man took hold of the ends of 
the sash cord to prevent the reaction jumping the hook 
off when the twine was broken. Another man pulled 
strongly down on the pole, breaking the lashing and 
leaving the hook at the top of the stack. A set of 
light blocks was lashed to the free end of the rope, 
and by means of a long pull and a few gentle shakes, 
the rope was pulled through the hook, taking the 
blocks to the top of the stack. The end of the rope 
was fastened to a post, a board seat was hooked on 
to the power end of the fall, and we were ready to 
paint. A whitewash brush on a long handle was 
used, after removing the rust and scale with a wire 
brush." 




THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 433 



FITTING OUT A PAINT SHOP 

HEN a painter comes to the conclusion to 
start into business for himself, it is well 
for him to visit the shops of established 
painters, and see how things are managed 
there. Doubtless he will find many shops 
unworthy of imitation, but he cannot fail to ob- 
tain good ideas even from such, for they will tell 
him what to avoid, while there will be some shops 
having one or more good features that he will do 
well to make a note of. Having had some useful 
experience myself, as a beginner in business, I feel 
competent to offer some useful suggestions to others. 
I will frankly say that I had too high an ideal of 
what a paint shop should be, for what I got was too 
costly for my means, it absorbed too much of my lit- 
tle capital. For instance, I could have done without 
oil and turpentine tanks, pumps, and many other 
things which were unnecessary, though very useful. 
I bought a lot of staging things that I really did 
not need. For instance, I had built a fine big stag- 
ing, and fitted it with falls, etc., at great expense, 
only to find that we could not use it on the kind of 
work we had. What I bought was the best. I re- 
member a jour, saying to me, "Boss, we ain't used to 
such good brushes as these." They were really too 
costly, for a cheaper line would have done just as 
well. So I would advise the beginner to go slow, 
to have what he cannot do without, and do without 
what he really does not need. I have before me a 
diagram showing a modern paint shop. It is about 
what some painter doing a business of anywhere 



434 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



from $100,000 to $500,000 a year might have. It 
is not worth thinking any more about, for the ninety- 
and-nine painters do a smaller business than that. 

Certainly I do advise having a convenient shop, 
one well lighted and well ventilated. Have a place 
for every single thing, and every thing in its place 
when not in use. Keep things clean and in order. 
Have plenty of light and plenty of fresh air. Dry- 
colors and whiting may be kept in the original bar- 
rels, with covers over them. Have a sink if at all 
possible, for you can hardly do without running 
water in the paint shop. Paint the names of colors, 
etc., on the barrels or boxes containing them, and 
have a drawer for sponges, rags, etc., which may be 
under the workbench. Oil may be kept in the original 
barrel, on its side, and a spigot in it. Turps may' be 
kept in a large tin can. So with varnish, driers, etc. 
I would not have the pots and cans on the floor, but 
have shelves running around the room for holding 
them. A number of jars or cans may be used for 
holding the various little things of the shop, like pum- 
ice, glue, plaster of Paris, dry colors for calcimine, 
etc. 

A shop must in many cases serve as a storage room 
also, for the ladders and scaffolding, and for the 
stock, such as white lead, etc. Again, it as often 
serves as the office. When this condition occurs, 
a large room is necessary. Yet, how often all this is 
cramped into a cellar. In contrast to such a shop 
is the one described by a prominent New Jersey 
painter, as follows: 

"Many shops which can now be truthfully called 
modern were no better than their neighbors in the 
beginning, but have had proprietors who were alert 
and observing, and did not fail to apply to practical 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 435 



use any idea or suggestion that seemed worthy of 
adoption, and who were at the same time endeav- 
oring to work out for themselves some of the prob- 
lems of the day. And, while many a good man has 
been able to live for years and to raise his family 
honestly and well on the proceeds of a shop conducted 
in some dingy cellar or shed at the back of his resi- 
dence, neither of these could be classed as modern 
paint shops by any stretch of the imagination, and 
neither they nor the business conducted in them are 
the kind contemplated in the writing of this paper. 

"The modern painting and decorating business gen- 
erally has its headquarters or office conveniently lo- 
cated. Its store room, stock room and workshop may 
be in a back street, or in some out-of-the-way place, 
but is then connected by telephone to the office, and 
thus is in direct touch with it; but it is even better 
to have both office, store room and workshop under 
the one roof if possible. 

"And further than that, the truly modern painting 
and decorating business will generally have in con- 
nection with its office a showroom for the exhibition 
of designs and other materials it is called upon to 
use from time to time ; a laboratory for experiment- 
ing or testing materials ; a workroom for the prepa- 
ration of such materials as can be gotten ready be- 
fore being sent out ; a stockroom, with adequate 
shelving for the separation and ready supervision of 
the various articles in frequent use, a storage place 
for materials in bulk, and shelter of some kind for 
ladders, planks, and other tools ; and last, but not 
least, a space wherein a separate locker can be main- 
tained for every employe in the concern. 

"The office of such a concern is conveniently lo- 
cated because, even with the telephone facilities made 



436 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



use of so extensively to-day, the head of it finds 
many customers coming to see him (if he is acces- 
sible) where otherwise he would be compelled to lose 
valuable time in calling- upon clients, who are per- 
fectly willing to do the running, and even better 
pleased to visit his office, where explanations can be 
more readily made, samples of goods exhibited, more 
satisfactory conversations held and instructions 
given. Such an office generally includes a private 
compartment for the proprietor or manager, with 
suitable tables upon which sketches can be prepared 
or plans set out for convenience in estimating, and 
this compartment is so situated that its occupant can 
leave his work at a moment's notice and remain away 
for any reasonable length of time without any 
necessity for disturbing his unfinished work or feel- 
ing that others will be meddling with it during his 
absence. 

"The showroom in connection with such an estab- 
lishment is usually arranged with partitions or 
screens, so that several parties can be consulted at 
the same time without any danger of interference. 
This is a necessary as well as a profitable provision, 
as it is a hard proposition for a clerk in an estab- 
lishment to interest one party in the selection of 
materials or a scheme of decoration for a small 
house or a few rooms, while in plain sight and hearing 
the proprietor is displaying designs and materials for 
decorating a mansion, and the contrast need not be, 
by any means, so great as that to make the situation 
difficult and embarrassing for all concerned. There 
is, therefore, ample provision made for the separation 
of all clients who may chance to need attention at 
the same time. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 437 



"The laboratory, so called, may consist of only a 
part of the stockroom or storeroom partitioned off, 
but is provided with means to raise the temperature in 
winter, and to protect any experiment that is under 
way; and is also fitted with a table of some kind, a 
Bunsen burner, small shelves for materials, and a few 
tools that may be found necessary in testing materials 
or making experiments. 

"The workroom is light enough to facilitate the 
mixing of colors when necessary, and is provided 
with scales, weights, and measures, shelving for ma- 
terials in use, and is so located as to be easy of access 
for the expressman or carter. , 

"The storage space and tool shelter may be ever so 
rough, but it is sufficient to protect its contents from 
the elements, and, like the workroom, moderately ac- 
cessible, to prevent any waste of time and energy in 
carrying materials or tools to and from the wagon. 
The lockers, which are large enough to hold a hat and 
coat, a pair or two of overalls, a brush pot and a few 
other tools, are provided with a lock safe enough to 
form some protection to its contents, and one that is 
not a duplicate of the others. There is also in the 
possession of the proprietor an extra key for each 
lock, or a master key, that will open any of them, 
as otherwise some of the men often find it necessary 
to return home before they can get at their tools. 

"It may be impossible to figure these lockers as a 
great money-getter, but they help to inculcate neat- 
ness on the part of the employes, prevent unpleasant- 
ness or hard feeling over the mislaying or changing 
of brushes or tools, and in this way they make their 
cost seem insignificant. These lockers also enable 
each man to be sure that his belongings cannot be in- 
terfered with if set aside for a few days. 



438 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

"To further promote neatness and prevent the 
smeary appearance so characteristic of the old- 
time shop, some special place is oftimes prepared for 
wiping out of brushes, and for this purpose I could 
recommend no better plan than that illustrated in a 
copy of one of the trade magazines. It consisted 
of a shallow box, which could be nailed to the side 
of the building or wall, had several easily detachable 
boards on the back that could be removed when too 
thick with paint, and a door or cover on hinges, 
which could be kept closed to hide its unsightly in- 
terior. 

"An establishment such as has been described, al- 
ways supposing that it has the proper skill and ex- 
perience at the back of it, and a proper complement 
of men — is ready at a moment's notice to carry out 
the wishes of a client in reference to almost any kind 
of contract, whether it be to finish the largest sky- 
scraper, to renew the finest of hardwood, or to decor- 
ate an interior in the most artistic manner ; and is even 
able and ready to select and procure its furniture and 
fittings." 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 439 




ORIGIN AND NATURE OF COLOR 

HAT we term color is not an inherent qual- 
ity of any substance, but is merely the 
effect of sunlight touching- that substance. 
In the absence of light there is darkness 
and no color. The sun shines upon grass, 
and the grass absorbs two of the three constituent 
rays of light, and reflects to the eye the remaining 
ray, which is a union of yellow and blue. It has 
taken in the red ray, and it is lost. If a substance 
should absorb all the three rays of light, it would 
appear to the eye as black, or without color. If a 
substance were capable of absorbing every vestig'e 
of the three rays we would not be able to see the 
black surface at all, or at most, it would appear 
as a very dark cavity. If, on the other hand, the sur- 
face of a substance were to reflect back the three rays 
of light, it would give the impression of white, which 
represents the complete union of the three rays of 
light. 

Scientists are not agreed as to what constitutes 
the true theory of color, differing upon certain points. 
These various differences, while very interesting, 
need not be related here, for painters have not to 
do with the colors of the scientists, but with pigment 
colors, which stand for the prismatic colors. The 
first authorities on the subject gave red and blue as 
being the primary colors, from which all others might 
be produced, but the more modern idea is that the 
primaries are yellowish-green, pale crimson, and 
violet-blue. 



440 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



The painter will, therefore, take reel, yellow, and 
blue as the primary colors. The pigments which 
most closely approximate the prism colors are Eng- 
lish vermilion, lemon chrome yellow, and cobalt blue. 

Next come the secondary colors, namely purple, 
green and orange. Yellow mixed with red gives or- 
ange. Yellow mixed with blue gives green. Red 
with blue gives purple. 

Then come the tertiary colors, produced by mixing 
any two of the secondary colors. Thus, green with 
orange gives citrine; orange with purple gives rus- 
set; purple with green gives olive. 

The following arrangement of the grouping of the 
colors shows the theoretical value of the intensity, 
contrast, harmony and order of the various series : 



Primary 

Colors 

(3) Yellow 

(5) R^ 
(8) Blue 

Basic 

Color 
(1) White 



Secondary 

Colors 

(13) Purple 

(8) Orange 

(11) Green 

Neutral 

Color 

(x) Black 



Tertiary 
Colors 
(19) Citrine 
(21) Russet 
(24) Olive 
Normal 
Color 
(17) Gray 



Quaternary 

Colors 
(62) Auburn 
(60) Drab 
(57) Buff 

Broken 

Color 
(33) Brown 



An analysis of such a chart shows that the second- 
ary colors are complementary to the primary colors, 
and that the quarternary colors complement the ter- 
tiaries. Furthermore, it will be noticed that the 
tertiary colors harmonize with the primary colors, 
and the quarternary order with the secondaries. 

The intensity of the color is designated by a small 
figure on the left, and refers to the area attraction of 
that color. Thus, for example, three square feet of 
surface painted yellow will attract the eye with equal 
intensity as compared with eleven square feet of sur- 
face painted green. The weak point in the theory of 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 441 

intensity is that black is represented X and is an 
unknown quantity, while the quaternary colors are 
so nearly alike that they need not be considered; 
nevertheless, the idea is good and helps to proportion 
the amount of color to be used in decorating. 

In using the chart for practical purposes it is only 
necessary to bear in mind the following rule : Any 
primary color will contrast with one secondary, ter- 
tiary and quaternary color, and will harmonize in 
greater or less degree with two other colors of each 
order. 

TABLE OF CONTRAST 

Yellow contrasts, Purple, Russet and Auburn 
Red Green, Olive and Drab 

Blue Orange, Citrine and Buff 

table of harmony 

Yellow harmonizes with Orange, Green, Citrine, Russett, 

Buff and Drab 

Red " Orange, Purple, Russet, Citrine, Au- 

burn and Buff 

Blue " " Purple, Green, Olive, Citrine, Drab 

and Auburn 

White, mixed with any of the positive colors, pro- 
duces tints, and the rule for contrast and harmony 
holds good in such cases, as will be seen by adding 
white to a primary color and its complement. Thus, 
white and yellow mixed together give a pale canary 
yellow, which is a beautiful contrast to the delicate 
lavendar made by mixing white and purple. 

Black mixed with a positive color produces shades, 
which have a tendency to tone down the color. With 
yellow it gives bronze-green and olive tones ; with red, 
a series of red-browns ; with blue, a blue-black and 
grey colors. 

Normal gray is a mixture of white and black; neu- 
tral grays are admixtures of black, white and any 



442 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



of the positive colors. Therefore, whereas we have 
only one normal gray, we may have an indefinite num- 
ber of neutral grays. 

In conclusion it may be stated that there are about 
144 distinct tones of color and fully 13,000 associated 
tints. 

Complementary Colors. — A complementary color 
is one of the three primaries contrasted with a mix- 
ture of two other of the primary colors. Thus, red 
is the complementary of yellow-blue or green; yel- 
low is the complementary of violet, which is a mix- 
ture of red-blue; blue is the complementary of red- 
yellow or orange. 

The Proper Relation of Colors. — A color 
stands in relation to another color or series of colors 
according to a fixed scheme. Color charts are formed 
to show this relationship, and such a chart will show 
red opposite green, yellow opposite violet, and blue 
opposite orange, and so on, with every degree of 
color, according to its nature. Opposite black is 
placed white, representing complementary contrast. 

Complementary Contrast. — The complementary 
of any color is also its exact opposite ; hence, comple- 
mentary colors are contrasted colors, because they 
contrast fully. 

Luminous and Somber Colors. — Yellow is in the 
luminous class of colors, and blue in the somber 
class, whilst the reds belong in an intermediate class. 

Pure and Broken Colors. — Red, blue, and yellow 
are called pure colors; mix any other color with them, 
and they are then known as broken colors. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 443 



Harmony and Complementary Contrast. — 
Color harmonies are of several kinds, the most im- 
portant being that of harmony of complementary con- 
trast. Looking- at red until the eyes tire it loses its 
brightness, and then if we will let the eyes rest upon 
green for a few moments or until the eyes become 
rested, and then turn to the red again, we notice how 
bright it is again. If we place colors close together, 
as red next to green, the one improves the other, and 
it is the same with all colors. The influence of color 
upon the eye is to render it partially insensible to that 
color, and the eye is rested by looking for a time 
upon its contrasting color. Again, if after the eyes 
have become tired from gazing on red, we turn to a 
piece of white paper, we shall see there a green image 
of the red object. 

Spontaneous Contrast of Colors. — When col- 
ors are placed beside each other the effect is the same 
as when they are viewed separately; the contrasted 
colors are enhanced in color by the contrast, caused 
by the equal action of both colors upon the eye at the 
same time. When the color is viewed alone it is 
vitiated by the rays that come to it from the oppo- 
site colors. But, when we place two colors side by 
side, as red and green, these reducing rays are neu- 
tralized, the complementary of each being thrown 
upon the other. 

How Certain Color Combinations Injure One 
Another. — The mutual effect of colors most con- 
trasted is to intensify and exalt each other. On the 
other hand, the effect of placing together those colors 
which are nearly alike is seen in their injury. If we 
place violet beside yellow, the effect is to make the 



444 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

yellow still more yellow. If we place the violet be- 
side other colors, the effect is to vitiate them by yel- 
lowing. It will make green yellower, because green 
is already half yellow ; and, beside violet, orange be- 
comes greenish-yellow. Violet placed beside orange 
produces a yellowish-green; orange and green being 
half yellow, the additional yellow will not be so 
marked as in the case of the colors not having yellow ; 
violet, beside blue, produces a blue effect upon both. 
Red it changes to scarlet. A rule to remember : A 
color placed beside another color tends to make that 
color as different as possible from itself. 

Contrast of Tone. — Place a strip of black paper 
beside one of white, and the effect will be to' increase 
the contrast between them. This applies to all in- 
termediate tones of white and black. Take strips of 
paper painted in various shades of grey, from very 
light to very dark, and place the edges of any two 
strips together, and they will appear darker on the 
edge next to the contrasting slip ; the light tones will 
appear lighter, and the dark tones darker. This is 
also true of any two colors placed together, they will 
alter each others' intensity. Thus, place a dark red 
beside a light rose color, and the light tones in each 
will seem brighter, and the dark tones darker, as if 
they were pushing one another apart as far as pos- 
sible. Chevreul says : "In the case where the eye 
sees at the same time contiguous colors, they will ap- 
pear as dissimilar as possible, both in their optical 
composition, and the height of their tones." 

Harmonies of Analogy. — These may be pro- 
duced in three different ways : First, we may ar- 
range the tones of a single scale in a series, beginning 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 445 



with white and ending with brown-black, leaving as 
nearly as possible equal intervals between them. 
This will produce a pleasing result. The greater the 
number of tones, the finer will be the effect. Second, 
we may associate together the hues of adjacent 
scales, all of the same tone, and often produce an 
agreeable analogy. But, sometimes colors of near 
scales mutually injure one another, as blue and violet; 
the complementary of blue, which is orange, being 
thrown upon the violet, gives it a faded and black- 
ened appearance ; while the complementary of violet, 
which is yellow, falling upon blue, gives it a green 
cast. Yet in some certain cases we may sacrifice a 
color in order to give prominence to another. Third, 
a pleasing harmony of analogy is produced by view- 
ing groupings of various colors through a colored 
medium that casts its own peculiar hue over the whole, 
as when the light from a stained glass window is 
cast upon a carpet. 

Effect of White Upon Colors. — In connection 
with white, all colors appear brighter and deeper, the 
superior brilliance of white rendering the eye insen- 
sible to its light, so that we do not notice its weaken- 
ing effect upon the color. At the same time the white 
is vitiated by contact with the color's complementary 
falling upon it. White is so intense that in all its 
arrangements with color, excepting, perhaps, light 
tones of yellow, there will be no contrast. It is for 
this reason that we use it for separating two discord- 
ant colors. All the primary colors appear to better 
advantage when used in connection with white, 
though not in equal degree, the height of tone of the 
color making a decided difference in the result. The 
deep tones of red, blue and green, and violet contrast 



446 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



too strongly with white, while the light tones of 
the same colors form with it very agreeable contrasts. 
Orange, the most brilliant of the colors, is almost 
too intense with white, while the deeper tones of yel- 
low appear well with it. 

Association of Black With Colors. — Black and 
its shades of gray associate agreeably with most col- 
ors, making them by contrast lighter, while the com- 
plementaries which are thrown back upon the grays 
and black have no appreciable effect, as black re- 
flects so feebly. With the deep tones of the scales 
it forms harmonies of analogy, although their lu- 
minous complementaries, especially those of blue and 
violet, when falling upon black, rob it of its strength, 
making it appear faded. Where white gives too 
strong a contrast, gray, being intermediate, may be 
used; and black makes the combination too somber,, 
as with violet, green and blue, and green and violet. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 447 



WHITE LEAD POISONING 

HERE is one infallible sign of white lead 
poisoning, namely, a blue line around the 
gums. But the poisoning shows itself in 
various ways. Colic is frequent, paraly- 
sis and other nervous disorders often oc- 
cur, the blood is anaemic, or poor, gout and Bright's 
disease of the kidneys are to be looked for, and dis- 
turbances of the generative organs may be produced. 
Painters' colic is the name given to the spasmodic at- 
tacks of intense, griping pain which begins at the 
umbilicus (or naval). The exact way in which the 
pain is produced is not known, but the intestinal se- 
cretions appear to be diminished, there is spasmodic 
contraction of the intestinal walls, and there is con- 
stipation. Firm pressure on the abdomen somewhat 
relieves the pain. These attacks may last, even under 
treatment, for several days. A full dose of lauda- 
num with an ounce of castor oil usually gives relief. 
The nervous evidences of lead poisoning are of 
most interest to the physician. The lead, strange to 
say, prefers to attack certain nerves to the exclusion 
of others. Thus, the nerves going to the muscles 
which extend the hand and fingers, become weak and 
waste away, at times there is pain when they are 
pressed, and finally they become paralyzed. 

This paralysis gives rise to a peculiar deformity 
known as "dropped wrist," in which the hands hang 
down, and the patient is unable to raise them. Other 
arm muscles are sometimes attacked, and occasionally 
the legs are affected. This is the commonest form of 
lead paralysis, and if taken in hand early in the dis- 
ease, there is a prospect of rapid recovery under med- 
ical and electrical treatment. 



448 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

Sometimes, however, more severe nervous symp- 
toms present themselves. Thus, the brain may be at- 
tacked, and as a result paralysis of one-half of the 
body, convulsions, delirium, coma, blindness, and even 
death may occur. Insanity also occurs. Eye symp- 
toms are often met with. Inflammation of the optic 
nerve, unequal pupils, hemorrhages into the retina, 
and blindness are sometimes met with. 

The blue or slate-colored line which appears in the 
gum close to the teeth is an important sign that lead 
has been taken into the system, either by way of the 
stomach, the lungs, or the skin. It is due to a de- 
posit of the sulphide of lead in the tissues, this sul- 
phide being formed by the union of lead circulating in 
the blood vessels, with sulphur provided by food and 
the "tartar" at the edge of the gum. It may be the 
only sign of lead poisoning present. Sufferers from 
lead poisoning generally suffer from anaemia or poor- 
ness of blood, and have a pale, sallow, earthy look. 
This is usually the first symptom. 

Lead poisoning is soon apparent to one having 
it, and it takes very little lead to produce lead colic. 
But, before a man reaches the dangerous stage, he 
usually has three or four attacks. Some say that the 
colic has been contracted by reason of lead paint 
around the finger nails, but this is not at all probable, 
unless the skin should be broken and so admit the 
lead. 

Single doses of lead produce few symptoms of 
poisoning unless the quantity is large, and even then 
fatal results do not occur. Frequently repeated small 
doses of lead produce the characteristic poisoning by 
lead. A single dose of lead will not produce the dis- 
ease. The lead is taken into the body through the 
mouth and swallowed, which may be regarded as 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 449 



practically the sole source of lead poisoning'. The lead 
is either borne by the air to the mouth as dust from 
dry powdered lead compounds, or particles of lead ad- 
herent to the fingers are conveyed to the mouth with 
the food. In these cases the lead is swallowed and 
carried to the stomach, whence it is absorbed into the 
blood. A man who handles a pipe and tobacco is also 
liable to get leaded. Danger from these sources may 
be prevented. In working where there is lead dust, 
it is scarcely necessary to wear a respirator. It is 
quite sufficient if the mouth is washed out and the 
teeth cleaned. It would not be advisable to drink 
without first washing the face and cleaning the mouth 
and teeth. To produce lead poisoning, the doses need 
to be repeated and long continued. There is no case 
on record of a single dose of lead poisoning produc- 
ing fatal results. 

It is doubtful whether lead dust inhaled through 
the nose can be absorbed through the lungs. Lead 
dust borne by the air must be swallowed before it 
can be absorbed. It is equally doubtful whether lead 
can be absorbed by the unbroken skin. Volatile in- 
organic compounds are not known, so that poisoning 
by lead vapor, unless at very high temperatures, is 
improbable. Most lead compounds, such as those 
forming paint, can be heated to redness and cooled 
again without losing weight. Only at temperatures 
above and near the point of liquefaction are vapors 
present. Lead vaporizes at mo F., or a tempera- 
ture of 65 times as high as boiling water. — Dr. H. B. 
Chapman. 

To get lead out of the system, one must wear 
clothes that are scrupulously free from lead; practice 
extreme personal cleanliness ; take a Turkish bath 
twice a week. He may also take three grains of 



450 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

iodide of potassium and five grains of carbonate of 
soda twice a day in a wineglassful of water. For the 
constipation, castor oil is the best remedy, but as soon 
as the lead is eliminated from the system the consti- 
pation will cease. It is due to a form of paralysis 
of the intestines. Various theories as to taking sul- 
phates to make the lead insoluble, have been con- 
structed; but they are all a delusion, and only add to 
the evils caused by the lead. — James Edmunds, M.D. 

Preventive for Lead Poisoning 

Dr. W. A. Johnston, who has acquired experience 
as a physician in lead smelting works, sends a com- 
munication to The Lancet, recommending the follow- 
ing as a mixture for free use among the workmen 
exposed to lead poisoning, which has, in his experi- 
ence, answered better than any other drink : 

Sulphate of magnesia 10-30 grains 

Dilute sulphuric acid \-2. minims 

Spirits of nitrous ether...... 1-4 minims 

Water \ oz. 

To be taken every three hours while exposed to the 
lead. In the works where he practiced, he says, be- 
fore this mixture was used there were from one to 
twenty cases of lead poisoning daily, but subsequently 
no case occurred for the six weeks during which he 
provided the medicine. 

Small doses of sulphur — milk of sulphur — in milk 
taken in the morning are also valuable, as sulphur 
forms insoluble compounds with the lead in the stom- 
ach. Epsom salts and Carlsbad salts in small dose 
can also be used for the same purpose. Prevention 
is, however, better than cure, and a little care will ob- 
viate the need of any substance to make lead insoluble. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 451 



Can a Painter Be Healthy? 

Yes, provided he observes a few simple rules. 
Turpentine poisoning and lead poisoning are the 
greatest of paint maladies. Neither lead nor turpen- 
tine are injurious by contact with the outer skin. 
Their deadly mission is accomplished when breathed 
into the lungs, taken into the system in the form of 
dust, or by open sores coming in contact with them. 

Turpentine is a severe toxic poison. It accom- 
plishes its deadly mission when its vapor is inhaled. 
Urinary troubles, inflammation of the eyes, lung 
trouble, kidney disease, and many other ailments can 
be traced directly to the effect of turpentine poisoning. 
As turpentine substitutes are even more volatile than 
turpentine, giving off greater amounts of still more 
poisonous vapors, it is obvious that no remedy can 
be sought here. 

If used with ordinary care, lead is harmless. Long 
and continued carelessness is necessary to make it 
poisonous to the human system. It must be absorbed 
steadily for a good length of time before it is harm- 
ful. German chemists claim that one-sixth of a grain 
each day is sufficient to bring on the most virulent 
forms of poisoning. Only when the dust from dry 
paint is allowed to enter your stomach in connection 
with food or tobacco, or is breathed through the nos- 
trils, does lead accomplish its deadly work. 

Ventilation and cleanliness will prevent poisoning. 
The greatest danger lies in taking lead into the sys- 
tem through the mouth. Keep yourself immaculately 
clean when you eat. Avoid smeared hands and over- 
alls. Wash ycur hands and face and change your 
clothing before eating. Never partake of food nor 
tobacco with lead-smeared hands, on the job. 



452 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

Health Hints for Painters 

i. Avoid spattering, for it is dangerous as well as 
unpleasant to be continually enveloped in robes of 
poisonous paint. 

2. Never attempt to eat or sleep without first 
washing the hands and face and rinsing the mouth. 

3. Keep the buckets, brushes, etc., clean, so that 
the)- may be handled without smearing the hands. 

5. Every painter should wear overalls, or change 
his clothing throughout, once a week at least, in the 
meantime thoroughly airing those he has thrown off. 

6. Keep the shoes clean and well ventilated. 

7. Never sleep in a paint shop, nor in a newly- 
painted room, nor paint the walls of any room with 
any of the metallic greens. 

8. Never suffer the paint to accumulate upon the 
clothing, nor upon the finger nails. 

9. Never wash the hands in turpentine, as it re- 
laxes the muscles and injures the joints. Any animal 
oil, or even linseed oil, is better. 

10. Never drink water that has stood in a paint 
shop or in a newly-painted room. 

11. Never use spirituous liquors, especially when 
ailing from the effects of paint, as it unites with the 
mineral salts and hardens them, and causes inflam- 
mation of the parts where they concrete. 

12. Milk, sweet oil, and the like, should be used 
freely, as they tend to soften the accumulated poisons 
and carry them off. 

13. Vinegar and acid fruits, used constantly, 
unite with the lead that may be in the stomach, 
chemically changing it to the acetate or sugar of lead, 
which is by far the least dangerous. Acetate of lead 
is scarcely recognized in medical jurisprudence as a 
poison. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 453 




QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

ellow Pine Enameling. — A room was 
enameled white on yellow pine, and in 
three years it had become quite yellow, full 
of dirty-looking streaks, and very rough. 
How restore it? Yellow pine is a very 
poor wood to enamel on. Remove all the old paint 
down to the wood, then sandpaper smooth, apply a 
coat or two of white shellac, rub each coat with fine 
sandpaper, then apply several coats of flat white paint, 
all but the first two made of zinc white. Sandpaper 
each coat. Finish with a coat of white enamel paint. 
Rub off with curled hair or moss, and flow on a coat 
of white enamel varnish. 

To Slow up Enamel Paint. — A tablespoonful of 
coal oil to the gallon of enamel paint will cause it to 
flow well and spread easily under the brush, without 
injuring the gloss. The kerosene retards drying, 
slowing it up, so that it will not harden for two or 
three days. Stir the coal oil into the paint very thor- 
oughly. If necessary a larger proportion of the oil 
may be used, but care must be taken to stir it in slowly 
and thoroughly. 

Re-finishing Enameled Work. — The old enam- 
eling is in fair condition, the white a trifle yellowed, 
and there are a few open joints in the woodwork. 
How can the work be done at least time and expense? 
What kind of putty for the open joints? Rub down 
the old work with pumice stone and water, use a 
white lead putty, and finish with a coat of enamel 



454 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



paint. If this does not give a solid job then rub off 
with curled hair or a little pumice-stone powder and 
dry rag, to remove gloss, and apply another coat of 
enamel paint. Flow it on full and free, being care- 
ful that it does not run or sag. 

Flat or Gloss Undercoat for Enamel Paint? 
— An ordinary flat coat will be absorbent, hence will 
cause the gloss finish to lose some of its luster. And 
yet a flat ground is the logical one for a gloss finish. 
It is less liable to soften or expand and contract than 
an oily coat, and if not too hard a coating it takes the 
finishing coat of enamel better than a gloss undercoat 
would. Yet some think a glossy undercoat helps a 
finish coat to bear out better, which is a mistake, for 
enamel paint is liable to soften an oily undercoat and 
to sink in. A hard, non-porous, well-bound surface 
is best for an enamel finish. 

Enameling Old Bath Tub. — A copper lined and 
tinned bath tub is to be coated with white enamel 
paint. First, clean off" the surface with ammonia 
water, to remove all grease and dirt; sal soda water 
will also do. When clean and dry apply a coat of flat 
white paint, oil and turpentine about half and half, 
with a little best japan drier. When quite dry, rub 
with fine sandpaper, clean off", and apply another 
coat of flat white, with more turpentine than oil, or 
very little of the oil. If this is to be the last coat 
before the finish, then add no oil at all. Sandpaper, 
and apply the enamel paint. One coat will do. 

Should the Paint be Stirred Before Using ? — 
If the contents of the can of enamel paint is not 
shaken up and well stirred, the liquid portion will be 
at the top and the pigment part at the bottom or be- 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 455 



low the top somewhere. When strained well at the 
factory there will be little sediment at the bottom of 
a can of paint, otherwise, the grit will go to the bot- 
tom, and should not be allowed to get into the coat- 
ing. It would be well to pour off the contents of the 
can, into another clean can, thus leaving the coarser 
sediment with the first can. Then the second can 
may be well shaken and used. 

To Prevent Sagging of Enamel Paint. — 
Enamel paint is liable to sag on a vertical surface, 
if the ground coat is not a dead one, hence, to avoid 
it the surface should be lightly rubbed with curled 
hair or pumice stone and water, then rub with a lit- 
tle soap on your pad, dipped into the pumice also, then 
wash off with clear water, rub lightly with rotten- 
stone and water, and wash off. Some trouble, but 
for a first-class job it will give a nice result, taking 
the enamel in good style. 

To Make Enamel Paint Work Easy. — Thin it 
out with benzine, which will allow of easy flowing 
and spreading, but will not injure the enamel, evap- 
orating completely and leaving a thin coat of the 
paint, no laps showing. A few drops of glycerine in 
the paint is liked by some, or a small quantity of 
alcohol, while others prefer a tablespoonful of coal oil 
to the gallon of paint. 

China Glossing. — First, or priming coat, mix 
white lead with equal parts of oil and turpentine. 
When dry, sandpaper smooth, dust off, and second 
coat with white lead thinned with turpentine only, 
and a little drier. Let dry, sandpaper, dust off, and 
third coat with zinc white thinned with turpentine 



456 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



and adding a little damar varnish to bind. Fourth, 
coat, zinc white mixed with damar varnish, and flowed 
on. The third coat should be completely dead flat; 
it would be best if ground in damar varnish, and if 
necessary, thin with a little turpentine, using as lit- 
tle as possible, so as to avoid injuring the gloss. If 
the work is new white pine, shellac it with white 
shellac, very thin, for a first-class job. Sandpaper 
the shellac coat. The best work calls for six coats in 
all. Get the work smooth at the start, and keep it 
that way. 

To Remove Yellow Cast from White. — White 
paint thinned with any amount of linseed oil will turn 
yellow unless exposed to sun and air, as on exterior 
work, where the sun bleaches the oil. Ultramarine 
blue is commonly used for giving a cold, white cast 
to white paint, but it rather inclines to give it a green- 
ish cast. If you choose ultramarine blue for the pur- 
pose, then get the one that has a violet hue, rather 
than the one with the greenish hue. True lampblack 
would probably be better than the blue, but it must 
be made from oil and not the carbon or gas black. 
Drop black tends to increase the yellow cast, rather 
than diminish it. 

Is Raw or Boiled Oil Best? — Raw oil is more 
porous than the boiled, allowing the air to pass 
through it more rapidly. It dries from the bottom 
up, or from the inside, and it takes longer to dry away 
from dust and other dangers. Boiled oil dries from 
the top down and through, so that in a brief time it 
has a skin formed on it, which is so-called air-tight. 
It dries quicker than raw oil, but, owing to its exclu- 
sion of the air, takes longer to reach the resinous state, 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 457 

and on that account is said to be more durable than 
raw oil, or better weather resisting. 

Why Grained Work Sometimes Cracks. — Ex- 
perts have given various opinions. Some say it is 
due to a green varnish being used, others that the 
graining color was fatty. Or, the ground color had 
too much oil. The best foundation for grained work 
is to be made with pure white lead tinted with finely 
ground oil color and thinned with turpentine and 
driers only, so that the paint will dry perfectly flat. 
Use freshly-made graining color, use none that is 
over forty-eight hours old, and if made fresh each 
day, the result will be surer. Never thin up with 
oil, as the lead and pigment or tinter contains oil 
enough to bind the paint. Allow the grained work 
to stand at least two months before applying any var- 
nish, and for outside work it is advised to use oil, 
well rubbed in, rather than varnish. Never use a 
heavy-bodied varnish on grained work. Use a light 
body varnish, one containing plenty of turpentine. 

Paint for Exterior Use. — The sunny side of a 
house will require a paint containing rather more oil 
than is required on the north or shady side, and 
rather less driers. 

Less paint and more painting should be the golden 
rule. The least paint applied at each coat, consist- 
ently with the proper covering of the surface, the 
better the result as to wear and appearance. 

To have a harder drying paint it is only necessary 
to use less oil and more turpentine, adding some hard 
copal varnish. Japan color may be used in such a 
paint, and will assist in giving a hard paint coating. 
Such colors will dry hard in an hour, and failure to 
do so indicates something wrong with them. 



458 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



Good exterior work calls for three coats, and 
cheaper work does with two. Thin coats are to be 
preferred to heavy, and all paint should be well rubbed 
in. Paint wears better if well brushed out. 

How to Tint Paint. — First, have a paint mixer, 
a machine. The way to mix by hand is to thin the 
white lead down with oil, a little at a time, until you 
have a smooth, stiff paste. Then add the tinters and 
mix thoroughly with the paste lead, making the color 
as near as possible to the tint desired. By adding 
color to the paste lead you can add a very small 
amount at a time and get the desired shade, but by 
thinning the tinter first, before adding to the white 
lead, you have some trouble in getting the right tint 
and in mixing the tinter perfectly. After getting the 
desired tint strain the colored paste paint. It you 
undertake to tint the thinned paint the oil in it will 
so affect your tinting color as to render it difficult 
to secure what you wish, the color will be yellowed. 

Is Boiled Oil Right for Priming Coat? — No, 
use raw oil only, whitened with a little lead, adding a 
very little of the best japan driers. Boiled oil makes a 
more lustrous finish than the raw. In former days 
we primed with raw oil, and for second coat used 
raw and boiled oil, equal parts, while the third and 
last coat was thinned with boiled oil entirely, and 
that gave a fine gloss job. But we boiled the oil in 
the shop. Exterior painting done this way lasted well 
for fifteen years. 

Fireproof Paint for Roof. — A correspondent 
gives the following as his favorite formula : Slack 
some fresh lime in a barrel so that it will become pow- 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 459 



derecl ; do not add too much water. Sprinkle water 
over it from time to time until it falls into a powder. 
Sift it fine, and to each six quarts add one quart of 
salt and one gallon of water, then boil and skim. To 
each five gallons of the liquid add a pound of pulver- 
ized alum, half-pound of pulverized copperas, and, 
while stirring the mass add also 12 ounces of potash, 
then fine ground sand, four pounds. Add any desired 
coloring that will agree with lime and apply with a 
fiber brush. This makes a very nice effect, better 
than slate in appearence, while quite as durable. It 
will also stop leaks in a roof, prevent moss and de- 
cay, and renders the shingles fireproof. 

Does Kerosene Oil Make Colors Clearer and 
Brighter? — Some painters say it does, but the state- 
ment is without foundation in fact. No volatile 
thinner, such as turpentine, benzine or mineral oils, 
has the power to make pigments or colors clearer. 

What Are the Effects of Coal Oil in Paint? 
— It is a non-drying oil, and has no adhesive qualities 
at all. It is not oxidized or changed, nor will it com- 
bine with other materials under ordinary circum- 
stances. Therefore, it is valueless in paint, deleterious 
when mixed with linseed oil, as it retards or even pre- 
vents drying of paint. Neutral petroleum oil will 
cause paint that is placed over a coat containing 
it to crack and peel. 

Should Paint Bf Mixed Fresh Each Day? — 
No, though it is right to break up the lead into a stiff 
paste, ready for thinning, but the thinning should be 
done 48 hours in advance of the using of the paint. 
By leaving it have, say two days, to get mellowed in, 



460 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



it will wear better than fresh made paint, and have 
a better luster. But, if mixed too long - it becomes 
fatty or oxidized, losing in covering power, and be- 
ing liable to blister under the action of a hot sun. 
If the lead is broken up at least 24 hours before being 
thinned it will absorb additional oil, as much as a 
gallon to the 100 pounds of lead. A correspondent 
says that when possible he breaks up his lead at least 
30 days before using it, and finds it goes farther 
and produces clearer colors. What it actually does 
is to spread better, but cover worse — quite a differ- 
ence. The colors appear clearer because the paint has 
become more or less fatty, hence the paint will have 
a glossier look than fresh paint, and the colors will 
look brig-hter. 

Rule for Use of Driers. — No set rule can be laid 
down for using driers in paint ; the amount used 
should be a matter entirely for the mixer to settle. 
There is such a wide difference in conditions of 
weather, surface, kind of paint, drying quality of 
pigments, oil, lead, zinc, etc., that it is obvious that 
only the painter on the job can determine what quan- 
tity or kind of driers had best be used for that par- 
ticular work. And the same is true of the proportion 
of oil to use in a paint; in fact, the entire subject is 
one for the painter himself to determine, and is not 
to be set down in print. 

Repairing Cracked Wall. — Plaster of Paris and 
glue size makes a good putty, but is apt to shrink 
some. If it is used, then shellac over it, first sand- 
papering smooth. A hard glazing putty is better, mix- 
ing white lead and whiting with a little varnish and 
japan. Large cracks must be cut out and keyed, or 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 461 



enlarged, with the inner part wider than the outer, 
in order to hold the plaster. As the plaster will 
shrink in drying it will be necessary to apply another 
coat over it, and, when dry, sandpaper smooth and 
shellac. For an old wall, where one side of the crack 
may be higher than the other, use the French method : 
mix white lead and coach japan to a stiff paste and 
apply with a broad glazing knife, levelling it so that 
the low side will be like the other. Sandpaper 
smooth. 

Mixing Pot of Paint. — What is a good composi- 
tion for a bucket or pot of paint, white, inside use, 
next to the last coat? Take of pure white lead, 8 
lbs.; best zinc white, 8 lbs.; turpentine, 13 oz. ; white 
japan drier, 2 oz. This will give very close to 11 
pounds of paint, ready for use. Strain it, and this 
may cause a loss up to 8 ounces of skin, etc. 

Mixing a Priming Coat of Lead Paint. — The 
proportion of oil per 100 lbs. white lead for priming 
varies with different painters, some using 5 gals., 
.others as much as 7 gals. Some add turpentine, say, 
one-half gallon, in which case a like amount of oil 
is omitted. Much depends upon conditions, time of 
year, condition of weather, character of the wood, etc. 
In cold weather and damp weather, more driers will 
be required than in dry or summer weather. Priming 
paint is better with very little or no driers, as too 
quick drying prevents proper saturation of the wood. 
Some use zinc white with the priming, why, we do 
not understand, but in such case use more driers, as 
zinc is a poor drier. Never use boiled oil in priming. 
We prefer to use freshly mixed priming. 



462 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



Pigments Affected by Lime or Alkali. — White 
lead and all pigments made on a lead base, such as 
yellow chrome, or containing any lead in their compo- 
sition as Prussian blue, vermilion, emerald green, 
cadmium, rose pink, the lakes, and most vegetable 
colors, are affected, such as madder, indigo, etc. 

Pigments Safe to Use With Lime , Etc. — 
These are silica and similar inert whites, zinc white, 
yellow ochre, zinc yellow, Venetian red, iron oxide, 
Indian red, English vermilion, chromium oxide, lime 
green, terre verte, ultramarine green, raw umber, 
burnt umber, raw and burnt sienna, cobalt and ultra- 
marine blue, lamp and carbon black. The regular 
lime-proof mortar colors are zinc white, yellow ochre, 
Venetian red, lime green, iron oxide or mineral paint, 
ultramarine blue and lampblack. 

Pigments Most Permanent to Light. — All of 
the whites, all of the blacks, except black lake, yel- 
low ochre, medium and orange chrome yellow, Vene- 
tian red, iron oxides, American vermilion, chromium 
oxide green, terra alba, lime green, zinc green, me- 
dium chrome yellow, raw sienna, raw umber, cobalt 
and ultramarine blue. 

Touching up Jobs. — When touching up an old, 
straw-colored surface, make the color as near the 
original as possible, then add to it a few drops of as- 
phaltum, which will impart the dirty or stained ap- 
pearance of the old paint. An old vermilion job may 
be touched up with vermilion stained with a little 
Venetian red. Asphaltum will give a dirty look to 
white, cream, pearl or silver gray, buff, and any 
color containing white. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 463 



Blackboard Slating. — A very large number of 
formulas for blackboard slating may be had, and of 
these we give here the most useful : 

Quick Drying Slating. — Dissolve 10 oz. orange 
shellac in 2 qts. of alcohol; stir briskly and add 2 oz. 
best calcined lampblack, 3 oz. best ultramarine blue, 
6 oz. powdered rotten-stone, 8 oz. flour pumice, and 
continue stirring until the mass is perfectly smooth 
and free of lumpy particles. Run through a fine 
strainer and cork tight for use. Apply with a wide 
and soft brush, and be quick about it, or the work 
will show laps. Several coats will make the best job. 

Slower Drying Slating. — Take 1 lb. drop black 
in oil, I lb. ultramarine blue in oil, and 1 lb. fine em- 
ery flour, and stir into a paste; then add ■§ gal. coach 
japan, stir to smooth paste, and add a pint of tur- 
pentine, after which pass through a strainer and apply. 
In place of emery flour you can use flour pumice 
stone. 

Cheap Slating. — Take of lampblack in oil 4 lbs., 
ultramarine in oil 1 lb., and 1 lb. flour pumice stone. 
Mix and thin with turpentine, adding a little driers. 
Being thin it is easy to apply. Or, beat up some japan 
drop black in varnish and add powdered rotten-stone, 
enough to flatten the paint, and thin up with turpen- 
tine. 

Green Slating Paint. — In all cases to get a nice 
job of slating, the surface should be made smooth 
and even all over. Then apply too coats of this : A 
pound each of Prussian blue and medium chrome 
green. Thin out with equal parts of oil size and al- 



464 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



cohol to the consistency of thin cream. Use a wide, 
stiff-bristle brush. After 24 hours or so smooth off 
with a piece of felt, then apply a second coat. Shade 
may be changed by varying the proportions of blue 
and green. 

Bleeding Red. — Mr. Kevers, a master painter, 
says that a coat of shellac will effectually prevent this 
color from striking through. He adds : In applying 
any kind of red, either bleeding or non-bleeding, it is 
safest to give the work a coat of ground color, com- 
posed of three parts Venetian red and two parts zinc 
white. In case of varnished finish, of course, the 
ground color must be flattened, and the finishing color 
should be ground in coach japan. 

What Is Chamois Skin? — Chamois skin origin- 
ally came from the chamois animal, which is now 
practically extinct. So-called chamois skins have for 
years been made from sheep skins tanned and colored 
to resemble real chamois skin, and they have thus 
been sold under the name of chamois, and are still so 
sold. There are good and bad grades of these imita- 
tion chamois skins, the best being selected from the 
finest sheep skins and carefully tanned and colored. 
These can be washed when dirty, and will remain firm 
and soft. Sizes will run from 12x14 inches up to 
26x28 inches, weighing from three ounces up to six 
ounces per skin. Prices will in a general way range 
from 25 cents up to $1.25, according to size and 
weight. This is for best grades. 

Evaporation Points. — The vapor tension or rate 
of evaporation of methyl alcohol (wood spirits) is 
twice that of ethyl alcohol (grain alcohol). The rate 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 465 

of evaporation of acetone is twice that of wood spir- 
its. Grain alcohol at a temperature of 104 F., is 
just equal in point of rapidity of evaporation to that 
of turpentine at the boiling point of water. 

Painting Over Tarred or Creosoted Work. — - 
If the stuff is old and well absorbed into the wood, a 
coat or two of brown shellac will be sufficient. If the 
case is a bad one, and you have to paint white or very 
light over it, try this: To 14 lbs. of best zinc white 
in paste form add three half-pints of benzol and a 
gill of common copal varnish. Mix well together and 
apply two coats. 

Painting Over Creosote Stain. — If there is any- 
thing' which will prevent creosote stain from coming' 
through enamel or paint when the paint is applied 
over the surface previously stained, it is, in our 
opinion, a coat of good shellac. Creosote, of course, 
has great penetrating power, but we think the shellac, 
if allowed to dry thoroughly before putting the paint 
on, will accomplish the desired result. 

Painting a Background. — To ordinary hot paint 
add a hot solution of soap, and mix together ; use 
when cool. This gives a dull surface and will not 
crack. 

Imitation Gold Color. — Take flake white ground 
in varnish and tinted with lemon chrome yellow and 
a touch of vermilion, and you will have a good imi- 
tation of gold paint. Gold paint color may also be 
bought in tubes, ready for thinning for use. 

Useful Cheap Paint. — To make a cheap and yet 
very good paint for many purposes, take 150 lbs. 



466 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

bolted whiting and mix to a paste with water; then 
add 6 gallons of hot soft soap; now break up 60 lbs. 
of white lead in three gallons of boiled oil, and when 
mixed to a paste add three gallons more of oil, then 
stir the lead and whiting mixtures together. The 
mass should be run through a hand-mill — something 
that should be in every paint shop. 

Yellowing of Inside White Paint. — The old- 
time painter always put some oil in his flat inside 
white, and the result was a case of old ivory-white. 
The old-time parlor was always white when first done, 
and it was kept dark most of the time, so that be- 
tween the dark and the oil in the paint the woodwork 
became yellow. Such a room can never be made a 
pure white again ; and if you come across a case of 
the kind here is a hint that will help you out — give 
the work a thin coat of shellac. This is not absolutely 
certain, but the next thing to that. Without the shel- 
lac the yellow will come through the new paint. 

Turps in Exterior Paint. — Turpentine may be 
employed when the oil is old or fatty, and then only 
in the proportion of about one part of turps to eight 
parts of oil. Its use should be avoided for finishing 
coat outside work, for it adds absolutely nothing to 
the durability of the paint ; it simply serves to extend 
or thin the linseed oil with which it may be mixed, 
thereby impairing the durability and elasticity of the 
oil. Turps makes the paint work more freely, i.e., an 
easier job for the painter, but a less durable one for 
the owner. 

To Paint Canvas Without Destroying Its 
Flexibility. — In a quart and a half of water put two 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 467 



ounces of white vitriol and into this solution mix 
whiting until a brushing consistency is reached. 
Over this use an elastic paint in one or two coats. 
Again, dissolve white beeswax in turpentine to a soft 
butter consistency. To a pound of Florence or zinc 
white add ^ pound of this beeswax and add a tea- 
spoonful of soft soap. Knife this on to the canvas, 
and in due time follow with elastic coats of paint. 
Canvas, drill fabrics, or cloth, may be treated as above, 
and when dry they will be found to roll up nicely. — 
Carriage Monthly. 

Fireproofing Shingles. — Any good mineral 
paint, mixed in the usual way with oil, will make a 
more or less resistant fireproof paint. The danger to 
a dry shingle roof lies in its quick readiness to blaze 
from a small spark. Having lost a house by this 
means, we speak from experience. A spark may fall 
on a painted shingle and do no harm, for its heat will 
die in a very little time. Lime water or whitewash 
is, however, about one of the best fire-resisting coat- 
ings for a roof that we know of. It may be prepared 
in various ways, with sand, etc., but if the shingles 
are well saturated with strong lime w r ater, not neces- 
sarily whitewash, it will prove resistant to ordinary 
sparks, etc. 

Finish for Kitchen Woodwork. — As an ideal 
treatment for kitchen woodwork a contemporary 
recommends white or cream enamel. This will be 
found to keep clean longer, to clean more easily, and 
always look cleaner than any other treatment. Next 
to this it will be found that a light oak graining, well 
varnished, has claim to consideration, chiefly on ac- 
count of appearances. It will not look dirty even 



468 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



when it really is so, and it will not show scratches, 
chips and dents, the inevitable result of hard wear in 
the aggravating fashion that plain color does. It will 
be difficult, it adds, to convince the average lady that 
white woodwork will not look dirty, and can be kept 
clean with less labor than buff or stone color. But, 
if consent is obtained for practical experiment, after a 
few months you will have equal difficulty in persuad- 
ing her to the contrary. 

Paint Spotting. — A house painted drab went 
spotty ; what caused this ? The fault lies in the wood, 
whose texture is uneven, sappy, or with soft places 
that take up all the oil from the paint. If, when you 
prime a job and leave it long enough to tell, these 
spots show more or less distinctly, you may be sure 
there will be trouble in the finish. It may be avoided 
by giving the wood all the oil it will take, say it is 
applied after the thin priming coat has been given. 
Another way is to paint over the spots, and then, 
when dry, give the entire surface the regular coat. 
In this way the soft spots will have been rilled and the 
whole surface will present a uniform texture for the 
paint. 

"I painted a house a medium shade of gray made 
from pure white lead in oil and dry lampblack, thin- 
ned with oil. In about six months the house had 
turned white in several spots, and the paint was in 
bad condition. Looked as if the house might have 
been painted for years. 

''I knew my materials were reliable and could not 
understand what the trouble was. I was deeply con- 
cerned and tried several experiments in my shop to 
discover the trouble, if possible. I found that my mis- 
take was in using dry lampblack for tinting. The 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 469 



dry lampblack does not mix intimately with lead and 
oil — it becomes lumpy — and if the surface on which 
the paint is applied happens to be more dry and por- 
ous in some spots than others, spotting soon begins. 
I had no further trouble of this kind after using ivory 
drop black in oil for producing gray tints, and this 
is a point painters should remember. — Carter Times. 

Definition of Porch, Etc. — A porch is a cov- 
ered entrance to a building, commonly enclosed in 
part, and projecting out from the main wall with a 
separate roof. It may be large enough to serve as a 
covered walk. Portico means the same thing, but is 
an obsolete term. Veranda is a local U. S. word for 
porch. Piazza means a place, a square, a market. 
An open square in an Italian (sometimes other Euro- 
pean) town, especially the largest, or an unusually 
large one, as when a smaller one is called campo, 
piazetta, or the like. In the 17th century the open 
square in which is now Covent Garden market, Lon- 
don, the decorative arcades on the square were called 
especially, "the piazza." 

By extension, an arcaded and roofed gallery, such 
as often surrounded a true piazza; also, a portico or 
single colonade before a building; whence in the 
United States, a verandah.— Vide Webster's 1912 
Dictionary. 

Permanent Green Paint. — If you desire to paint 
anything green that will be exposed to the weather, 
such as lawn furniture, etc., you will find medium 
chrome green to do fairly well, but emerald green 
is even better, it being tolerably permanent, more so 
than any other of the green family. Yet it is more or 
less affected by sulphur and impure air. 



470 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



When we paint a door we like to remove the 
escutcheon, etc.. so that they will not get smeared 
with paint, but when this is not feasible we cut out 
a card to fit the part to be protected, and thus save 
time and work. When the fittings are full of old paint 
it is best to take them off and soak them in some sal 
soda water until the old paint loosens up, after which 
they can be cleaned and put back again. 

One of the most useful tools about a paint shop is 
the paint strainer, and is is a sign of good workman- 
ship — for the man who strains his paint is a careful 
painter. 

For smoky wall or greasy wood, apply lime-wash 
before painting. 

Turpentine deadens the luster of paint, and its ex- 
cessive use is one cause of peeling. 

Silicate paints are used for fireproofing wood, 
paper and canvass. They are very adhesive and set 
quite rapidly. Owing to their alkaline character they 
cannot be used with colors or fabrics affected by al- 
kalies. 

Pine tar may be thinned with turpentine spirits, as 
• may also a mixture of lime and coal tars ; but coal tar 
can only be thinned with what is known as light or 
creosote oil. 

Painting damp wood imprisons the moisture, which 
will rot the wood beneath the paint. For the same 
reason never lay linoleum on a damp floor. 

A clean cloth, dipped in hot water, then a saucer of 
bran, will speedily clean white paint without injury to 
it. The soft bran acts like soap on the dirt. 

Putty all nail holes and imperfections evenly, and 
press well into cracks and holes. A good putty-up is 
equal to one coat of paint. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 471 

With paints made from inert materials, as barytes, 
silica, etc., it is sure that the greater the number of 
coats applied the more durable will be the painting, 
provided that sufficient time be allowed for each coat 
to harden. 

It is said that window glass rosin dissolved in pale 
rosin oil makes a good substitute for Canada balsam. 

Fatty paint, cut with turpentine, has its uses, but it 
is wrong to use it on good work, for fatty paint does 
not cover well nor last well, especially where the sun 
hits it hard ; it is apt to blister and scale. 

If there are greasy spots on the work you are to 
paint, apply a size of saltpeter in solution, or a very 
thin lime wash, or lime water. The same is also good 
for smoky walls or ceilings that are to be painted. 

Even old painters sometimes must be reminded that 
paint in the pot should be stirred now and then while 
using. The oil will come to the top if not stirred, 
while the heavier pigment goes to the bottom. 

I want to repeat that if the paint crawls, on account 
of the cold, or a too glossy surface, first size the work 
with benzine, brushing it on as you would a coat of 
paint ; and as soon as it dries the paint may be applied, 
and it will stay. 

To clean paint, wash it with a cloth dipped in thick 
suds of white soap and wipe off with a clean cloth 
wrung from warm water. Never scrub it with sand 
soap, as the grinding process, however light, will wear 
away any paint. 

Mildew on paint is sometimes caused by the too 
liberal use of driers, and fatty paint also will cause it, 
for a paint that will dry soft is most apt to have mil- 
dew, under certain temperature conditions. 

Oil Color On Aluminum Paint. — A writer 
states that he has learned that aluminum paint will 



472 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



take oil color and make quite an improvement on the 
clear aluminum in some cases. "It may not be news 
to some, but I tried this without ever having heard 
of anybody else doing it." 

Non-poisonous Paint for Toys. — Take white., 
pulverized chalk, 6 parts, and calcined magnesia, 3 
parts, add a few drops of indigo water, and prepare 
with glue water to desired paint consistency. 

Fireproofing Compound for Wood. — Mix to- 
gether 1 measure of fine sand; 2 measures of sifted 
wood ashes and 3 measures of lime in powder. 
Grind up the mixture in linseed oil ; give two coats, 

first a thin and then a thicker one. 
r 

Waterproof Paint. — A waterproof paint may be 
made by dissolving two quarts of water, one pound of 
brown soap, adding six quarts of boiled oil and one 
ounce of vitriol. After removing the mass from the 
fire add two quarts of turpentine, and color with 
whatever you wish to mix with it. Strain well before 
using, and thin with turpentine to suitable consist- 
ency. 

To Do a Job of Flat White. — Thin with substitute 
turpentine (petroleum spirits) and add a little rub- 
bing varnish as a drier. This will flat almost any 
paint. — George W . Whigelt. 

To Clean Marble. — For whitening boards or 
cleaning marble, take a half pound each of soda, pow- 
dered chalk and pumice stone, stir together in a small 
quantity of water and then add half a pound of soft 
soap. Mix it as a paste and apply with a scrubbing 
brush. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 473 



An Old Ivory Effect. — Apply two coats of white 
shellac to the work, and when dry scumble with raw 
umber, rubbing it off partially so as to leave a mot- 
tled effect. This will give the desired result. 

Size for Aluminum. — "I see that some one ad- 
vises white lead coat under aluminum, but this does 
not meet with my approval, because I have found that 
aluminum and iead have no affinity for each other, 
but fight shortly after being placed together. I once 
used lead on account of its whiteness, but when I 
found a bad effect I quit its use. The size that I 
use with satisfaction is made as follows : A good, 
quick-drying varnish, 3/5 parts ; chrome yellow in oil. 
1/5 part; turpentine, 1/5 part. Mix. This will 
produce a good, lasting job. It should be ready for 
this bronze in an hour at most, and in warm weather 
it will be ready for use in less time." — /. P. F., Boze- 
man, Mont. 

How to Remove Paint from Tiles. — There is 
nothing more unsightly than spots and splashes of 
paint left on the floors and tiles of buildings. Most 
tiles will allow a wash of caustic soda being put over 
them, which will remove the paint without the neces- 
sity of using an after wash of acid to destroy the ef- 
fects of the potash, water only being required, says 
Modern Building. But if the tile is likely to stain 
with the potash, a wash of diluted ammonia will re- 
move the paint spots, which in turn can be washed 
off with clean water. 

A Dark Dining Room. — A very good plan would 
be to paint the room in white enamel, or in old ivory 
or a little off the white. You will find this to brighten 



474 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



the room considerably. Then if you do the ceiling in 
white or cream, with a plain white frieze, this also 
will help make the room lighter, by diffusion of the 
light from the two windows. The walls may be done 
with paper having a bright green or red stripe, for 
contrast. Ingrain is preferable. 

Killing Knots. — 'Where there are not too many 
knots requiring treatment we would suggest that you 
take a rather heavy piece of iron (flat iron, for in- 
stance) place it over the knot and direct the flame 
from a blow torch upon it. After the iron has been 
hot for a few seconds, remove it and scratch off the 
pitch that has been drawn out. Repeat this operation 
two or three times until you feel that the pitch has 
about all been removed; then apply your shellac. 
After this build up the bare spot with a coat or two 
of lead and finish as desired. 

Coloring in the Pot. — When you want to color 
or tint a pot of paint do not add the color direct from 
the can, but first thin it up a little with turpentine, 
or benzine, which is just as good for the purpose, and 
much cheaper. It is also a clever idea to thin up some 
color and place it in a bottle or other suitable vessel, 
and have it on the job, ready to add to the paint if 
needed. Another way to add color to paint, when 
mixing a batch, is to add color to the stiff lead, direct 
from the color can, then work this up into the paste. 
A good way, also, for adding driers, 

Water Content of Paint. — Ordinary raw lin- 
seed oil carries usually from 0.50 to 1.50 per cent, or 
more of water. White pigments also carry more or 
less water, hence it is customary to allow a maxi- 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 475 



mum of 2 per cent, of water as a natural content of 
paint. Any amount over 3 per cent, may be regarded 
as pure adulteration, according to Scott. To test the 
presence of free water in paint, white paste or mixed, 
add a very little eosine (aniline pink) to the mixture, 
and rub it upon a piece of porcelain or glass, then 
add a drop of water; as eosine red is unaffected by 
oil, turpentine or benzine, while easily dissolved in 
water, if any moisture be present it will at once show 
itself by the white paste turning pink. Some painters 
claim that water in paint, sometimes added to pro- 
duce a flat effect, will do no harm, as it evaporates and 
leaves the paint unchanged. 

Sizing Walls. — The question, "What kind of a 
size to use?" is certainly a very deep one. What is 
good in some places or for some walls is not good 
for others. We sometimes use too much sizing. 
Suction in walls is necessary for a good and lasting 
job. It is a practice in a good many parts of the 
country to put a coat of glue on the raw wall before 
painting. Nothing could be worse. Glue prevents 
the linseed oil from soaking into the wall and taking 
root or anchoring in the wall. The wall should be 
fed with linseed oil until it is absorbed sufficiently; 
until it stands out from the wall 

Imitating Red Slate. — "I have a job to do where 
there is some red slate marble to do by imitating or 
graining, and I would be glad to get some idea of the 
colors needed, the ground to make, and how to get 
the effect." The ground may be made with three 
parts white lead and two parts Indian red; mix with 
raw oil and turpentine, half and half. Add driers suf- 
ficient. The graining or marbling is done with Indian 



476 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



red and white lead. Underglaze with Indian red, 
make a pebbled effect, and vein in with a mixture of 
Indian red and white. When dry, varnish the work. 

Painting Over Varnished Tile Paper. — "I 
wish to ask a question regarding painting over var- 
nished tiling, whether it will be all right? The old 
paper is tight and good; will it be necessary to take 
it off? No; if the paper is tight you can paint over 
it. We would suggest first washing it off with water 
made somewhat sharp with sal soda, to roughen the 
surface and make the paper clean before painting. 

Trouble With Dark Shade of Blue Paint. — 
Some blues of the rich dark shade are made up with 
a proportion of black in their composition, and this 
black, being very light, has a tendency to float to the 
surface when the blue is being applied, and to cause 
streaks, which considerably mar the appearance of the 
finished surface. To obviate this a simple plan is to 
add a very little bluish-gray paint to the blue when it 
is to be used as a body color. The gray may be made 
with a little lead and black, and some of the blue be 
added to give it a requisite tone. It must, however, 
be sparingly used, or naturally it will change the hue 
of the whole color. 

Cleanser for Old Painted Work. — To make a 
smaller quantity than the following formula calls for, 
reduce the proportions. As it costs only about five 
cents a gallon, one may make a large quantity of it, 
and it will keep indefinitely. In five gallons of boiling 
water dissolve 4 lbs. of sal soda, 1 lb. of carbonate 
of potash, and |- oz. of bichromate of potash, all of 
which may be had of any large dealer in drugs and 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 477 



chemicals. Now, add 3 gals, more of hot water, 

when the mass will be like a jelly. Apply with a 

brush, and clean up with a sponge. If the first at- 
tempt fails to make clean, try again. 

Paint for Leather. — What kind of paint should 
be used on leather, sheepskin, etc., and how should 
it be mixed? Use artists' tube colors, thinning to a 
paste with equal parts of japan drier and a good 
elastic varnish, then reducing to a working consist- 
ency with turpentine. Or you can use japan colors, 
thinned with twice as much turpentine as varnish, 
mixed as a thinning fluid. 

Efflorescence. — Moisture acting on the lime and 
other mineral matter in the mortar and bricks, causes 
these to come to the outer surface of the wall, and 
being there dried by the air, a powder results, which 
is called efflorescence. Some chemist has analyzed 
this substance with the following results : 

Soda 41.12 

Potash 0.84 

Magnesia Traces 

Lime 1.02 

Chlorine Traces 

Carbonic acid Traces 

Sulphuric acid 5J-93 

Insoluble 4.88 

Total 99-79 

Sheariness. — Sheariness in paint is connected gen- 
erally with inside work, where flat paint or paint hav- 
ing a fair proportion of turps is used. It results from 
the fact that the turps tends to make paint dry flat, 



478 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



and oil to make it glossy. If a half-and-half paint is 
spread on a surface unequally, it will usually dry 
sheary. In drying, the turps evaporates and leaves 
an unequal film of oil. Where it is brushed out spar- 
ingly it will dry fiat, and full, glossy. This is accentu- 
ated where the ground is absorbent, as on repainted 
inside work finished in one coat over a surface which 
has been limed and rubbed down with lump pumice. 
In flatting the work has a tendency to look sheary 
when worked on too much and where "overlapping" 
occurs. In repainting, two-coat work is not so apt to 
look sheary. Briefly, the cause is due to unequal mix- 
ing of the paint, unequal spreading, or faulty nature 
of the ground, and working too much with flat color. 
— A ustralian Decorator. 

Acid-proof Paint for Wood. — Two masses are 
prepared, the one consisting of 30 parts by weight of 
sodium silicate (38 B.) and 40 parts of powdered 
asbestos, the other of 50 parts of the silicate and 60 
parts of the finest talc, each of them being kneaded 
thoroughly until homogeneous throughout. The 
wooden vessel to be coated is made perfectly dry and 
a layer of the asbestos preparation about i/i2th of 
an inch thick is applied. When this is dry, which 
takes about eight to twelve hours at the ordinary tem- 
perature, but in four to six hours if moderate heat 
is applied, the second coating of the talc preparation 
is laid on, the thickness being the same as before. 
These successive coatings are repeated until the mass 
has attained a thickness commensurate with the dimen- 
sions of the vessel, which is finally dried at about 8o° 
R, for eighteen to twenty- four hours. The acid- 
proof coating, which may be applied both outside and 
inside, will then be found to adhere firmly to the wood. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 479 



Paint for Golf Balls. — One part of dry pulver- 
ized white shellac, two parts of methylated spirit (al- 
cohol), and one part of lithopone, all by weight. Mix 
the shellac and lithopone together, dry, place it in a 
suitable vessel, one that can be tightly stoppered, and 
add the alcohol. Shake occasionally until the shellac 
is dissolved. 

Making White Lead Paint Dry Flat. — It is 
held by many expert painters that the addition of a 
little water to white lead will cause paint made from 
it to dry flat on walls or ceiling. First, beat up the 
white lead in the keg, then gradually add the clear 
water, constantly stirring, finally causing the water to 
unite mechanically with the lead. Then you can add 
driers and coloring as desired, reducing to a working 
consistency with turpentine. The water does no 
harm, as it finally dries out. 

Glazing Walls for Tiffany Effect. — No mat- 
ter what color the finish is to be, make the ground 
a buff color, using white lead tinted with chrome yel- 
low. You may apply a very thin coat of white shel- 
lac over this buff ground, though it is not really es- 
sential. Having the ground good and solid and 
smooth, apply the glaze color, which must be a pig- 
ment that will glaze, such as Prussian blue, sienna, 
umber, etc. Glaze the surface with one of the glaze 
colors, and then have ready small pots containing vari- 
ous glaze colors, and a brush for each. These colors 
are dappled on, making a mottled effect. To get a 
uniform surface, stipple after mottling, and when this 
is dry, apply a thin coat of pale copal varnish, for the 
mottling will not be uniformly flat or lustrous, but 
mottled, so that the shellac is necessary here to make 
it uniformly soft and semi-flat. 



480 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



What Is Venice Turpentine? — The real article 
is found in Italy, in the largest of the larch trees, in 
the form of a liquid resin, in the large cavities of the 
trunk, in the solid wood, five or six inches from the 
heart of the tree. Holes are bored with augers, and 
in these holes are placed wooden tubes, through which 
the resin flows into little buckets. The resin is col- 
lected only from May to October. It comes from the 
trees perfectly clear and needs only straining through 
hair cloth to remove bits of bark, etc. It was formerly 
imported only from Venice, hence its name. It is 
used in medicine, as well as in paste, etc. 

Paint for Rough Work. — Take oxide of iron 
paint and Paris white in the proportion of twice as 
much of the former as of the latter, mix to a paste 
with linseed oil, and thin out with benzine and rosin 
oil, adding a cheap drier. A better grade can be 
made by omitting the cheap thinners and using only 
linseed oil. Or, you can use yellow ochre and Vene^- 
tian red in same proportions as in the first case. 
Cheap white lead and Paris white, colored with cheap 
carbon black; and ochre, Paris white, lampblack and 
blue, and olive green, are similar formulas. 

The following is a recipe for making black paint: 
Mix 18 lbs. of boiled oil, 25 lbs. of naphtha black, 
18 pounds of raw linseed oil, 112 lbs. barytes, and 
56 lbs. of white lead. 

Making Disinfectant Paint. — The addition of 
carbolic acid makes a disinfectant paint, but it will 
color any light paint. Boric or salicylic acid also is 
used. One composition is made from red lead, 
feldspar, shellac, linseed oil, carbolic acid and tur- 
pentine. Any darker color may be added if desired. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 481 



Here is a formula for a white paint, to which a disin- 
fectant may be added : Dry white lead, 20 lbs. ; best 
zinc white, 300 lbs. ; raw linseed oil, 4^ gals. ; 
white japan, 3 gals. This paint, may, of course, be 
colored in the usual way. 

A Water-oil Paint. — Where whitewash is not 
desired, the following may fill the bill : Mix together 
40 lbs. of bolted whiting, 10 lbs. of dry zinc oxide, 
10 lbs. of white lead in oil, 8 lbs. of raw linseed oil, 
6 lbs. of potash soap, and 26 lbs. of soft water. The 
addition of a quart of copal varnish may be consid- 
ered desirable. This will give about 100 lbs, of 
paint, ready for the brush. 

Cleaning Paint Pots. — An oil barrel sawed in 
two will make a good lye barrel for soaking dirty 
paint pots in. At least once a week clean up all dirty 
pots, cups and cans, having dropped them in from day 
to day. Saturday may be a convenient time, and 
thus have clean pots for Monday morning. Or any 
spare time through the week. Or, boiling in water 
with sal soda, say, a pound to the bucket of water, 
will make the dirtiest pot bright and clean in a little 
while. The water may be saved for use again. It 
may be strained and kept in a tub for pickling pots 
and cups in. A painter writes to tell us how he does. 
He takes the varnish or paint cup or pot to the sink, 
and washes it off with water and soap, using a scrub 
brush while the paint or varnish is still fresh. If 
he cannot do this at once, he places the vessels in 
water, which will prevent drying until he has time for 
washing off at the sink. This would not do for old 
paint pots, however, being better adapted for the car- 
riage paint shop. 



482 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



In the half of a coal oil barrel place five pounds of 
fresh quicklime, two pounds of concentrated lye, and 
water enough to slake the lime. Then add water to 
make 15 gallons. Place the pots in until under the 
liquid, and allow to remmain until all the paint is 
soft, when they may be lifted out, pouring the con- 
tents back into the barrel, but keeping back the solid 
contents, which may be put into a suitable vessel, 
either for future use, or for throwing away. Stir the 
liquid now and then. You will need to add more lye 
from time to time, as the liquor weakens, and the 
pots may be washed off and allowed to dry, when they 
may be further cleaned by scraping and wiping. The 
dregs from the pots may be used for rough work, 
adding oil, etc. 

To Make Wax Flat Varnish. — Heat a gallon of 
the best hard oil finish; also heat six ounces of the 
best beeswax ; heat in separate vessels, and then add 
together. This should be done with care. Stir in the 
wax slowly. Now add by careful stirring two ounces 
of linseed oil, as a binder and to help when applying 
the varnish, that no laps or brush marks may be made. 
It makes the varnish more easy flowing and spread- 
ing under the brush. Some one advises the use of 
sweet oil in place of linseed oil, saying that the lin- 
seed oil and wax are prone to separate, but that sweet 
oil will bind the two together. But we apprehend that 
sweet oil, being a very poor drier, if a drier at all, 
would make the stuff too soft, even sticky. However, 
here is where you can test the matter for yourself. 
The oil and three pints of turpentine are to be mixed 
together, while the stuff is hot. This will make nearly 
two gallons of flat varnish. Strain it through a fine 
mesh strainer into a clean can. Use only perfectly 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 483 



clean cans. Your brushes for applying this varnish 
must also be perfectly clean. Finish a panel or other 
certain part of your work at one stretch, for laps 
easily show, and are to be avoided. On outside work 
use a good, elastic varnish. To insure a good job, 
do your work carefully. This is true of all work, of 
course, but it is imperative with flatted varnish work. 

Oil Paint Drying Flat. — Paint drying flat is 
frequently, but not necessarily, an indication of adul- 
terated oil. The best of pure linseed oil will dry flat 
where it is applied over a very dry and porous surface. 
Oil is used in paint as a binder — to hold the pigment 
together and make it adhere to the wood. A certain 
proportion of oil is necessary to accomplish this pur- 
pose. Wood will absorb a certain amount of oil, also. 
Now, where paint is mixed with only an average 
proportion of oil, and is applied to a very dry, porous 
surface, the wood takes up its requirement of oil, and 
leaves the paint without enough properly to bind it. 

Should the paint dry flat in spots only, an excellent 
practice is to go over the job after the priming coat 
has been applied, and touch up all the flat, dry spots 
with an extra coat of oil. This not only prevents pre- 
mature flatting or wearing out of the paint in spots, 
but gives a much more uniform and satisfactory job. 

When linseed oil is adulterated with mineral oils, 
flatting may be expected. The effect is much the same 
as if too much turpentine were used. 

Glue Varnish. — Take white glue or gelatine for 
a clear varnish, and dissolve a pound in one quart of 
water. Just before using the varnish add to the solu- 
tion 1 1 ounces of bichromate of potassium, which will 
make the elue hard and to a laree extent make it 



484 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



waterproof. If you let this mixture stand any length 
of time it will gelatinize and become unfit for use. 
Dark glue will make a dark varnish. 

Vernis Martin Finish.— This is done on metal 
and wood. The surface should be made perfectly- 
smooth, filling with paste filler on wood, hard or 
soft. Vernis martin is always done on soft or close- 
grained wood. After making smooth, apply a coat of 
good gold bronze, mixed with banana liquid ; use a 
soft hair brush, ii or 2\ inches wide, double thick. 
Apply four coats, always the same way, allowing 
first and second coat to dry in a warm room. Rub 
down each coat, carefully, with curled hair, and be 
careful not to rub through the coatings. : Apply each 
coat quickly, making - long strokes, otherwise you 
may rub up the under coating. To finish, apply one 
to two coats of good varnish, which should be rubbed 
or polished. If pictures are to be added we calci- 
mine or paint by hand before varnishing. The var- 
nish should be made with benzol, otherwise the 
bronze will tarnish; but if not convenient to get ben- 
zol, give the bronze a coat of spirit lacquer before 
varnishing. The foregoing is the method employed 
by the furniture people. 

According to some, the name is from that of its 
inventor, a Frenchman, Vernis Martin, while others 
say it is simply, in English, Martin's varnish. At 
any rate, this method seems to be simply glazing 
and varnishing over a prepared surface. Makers of 
furniture use it, and get the golden effect by three 
coats, first, the priming coat, which is thoroughly 
baked and hardened, with a second coat, which is 
of the best quality of varnish. The color is transpar- 
ent, a rich golden tint, closely resembling the high- 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 485 

grade all-brass beds. All this may be imitated with 
paint, glaze, bronze and varnish. 

Painting the Old Window Shade or Store 
Blind. — Take some rather dry or stiff old keg lead 
and thin it with turpentine, making a stiff paste, then 
add some color, such as may be desired, then thin 
with turpentine, quite thin. Now, with the curtain 
stretched on a frame, and made clean, apply the paint 
with a broad-bristle brush, getting the paint on thin. 
One coat may be sufficient, but if it should not cover 
well then apply a second coat, which will surely make 
a solid job. One coat is best if it can be made to 
cover perfectly. The old store shade may be relet- 
tered after the painting by following the old lettering, 
which will show plainly t hrough the new paint. 
Gilding also may be done, sizing with oil size. In this 
way an otherwise good store shade may be made to 
last two or three lives, before being replaced by a new 
one. 

Varnishing Over Calcimine. — "I have to var- 
nish over some calcimined work. How shall I pre- 
pare the surface for it?" You may need to varnish 
it first, with light gelatine size; but most of the water 
paints on the market will not need sizeing, but may 
be varnished over the same as any painted surface. 
If yours is a hand-mixed calcimine, that is, a home- 
made one, and has not much glue or other binder in 
it, you may have to size it. 

The Paint Would Not Get Glossy. — It is a fact 
that should be generally known that a gloss upon a 
gloss produces a semi-flat. In order to get the best 
effect with a paint that is to dry glossy you must 



486 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



have the coat that is next the last coat made some- 
what flat, using - turpentine. Then make the last coat 
a full-bodied oil paint. On the contrary, to produce 
the best dead effect you must put the dead flat coat 
on top of a gloss coat, or semi-gloss coat. The cause 
of a gloss producing a flat is found in the fact that 
there is a chemical action set up by the oil that sweats 
out the paint, killing the gloss. 

Paint Emulsifier. — Cheap, ready-mixed paint is 
often made with an emulsion liquid which usually 
acts badly on the colors employed. A German paint 
maker has hit upon an emulsion that he says will not 
act deleteriously on chemical colors in ordinary use: 
Dissolve three quarts of silicate in six parts of water. 
Remember that it is not the silicate of soda that is 
indicated. The older the silicate the better for the 
purpose. Mix this solution to thorough saponifica- 
tion with twelve parts of raw linseed oil. The greater 
the proportion of silicate the stronger the solution. 
Then dissolve three parts of lead acetate in nine parts 
of water and incorporate thoroughly with the oil 
solution. The proportion of lead solution must not 
be exceeded. The mixture is then used as an emulsi- 
fied oil in the making of liquid paint. 

Clearing Shellac Varnish. — "I have some 
white shellac varnish that has become somewhat dirty 
from use or dipping brushes into it, and want to know 
if it can be cleared so as to be used." If you will add 
a few crystals of oxalic acid, stirring it to make the 
acid mix, then allow it to settle for a few hours, 
the liquid will clarify, the foreign matters will de- 
posit at the bottom, and the clear shellac may then 
be poured off into a clean vessel, one not made of 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 487 



metal, as that will darken the shellac. Be careful not 
to add too much acid, putting in only a few crystals 
at a time, until the effects are seen. 

Mixing Lampblack and Red Lead. — "In for- 
one so light, the other so heavy. Is there a correct 
mulas given for mixing red lead and lampblack tried. 
I find it difficult to mix the black with the lead, the 
way of doing this that I have not got on to?" There 
should be no difficulty about mixing red lead and 
lampblack together, as you state. Both being in the 
dry state, the lampblack should be placed in the mix- 
ing tub first, then add the oil, following with the 
red lead, which should be stirred in gradually, stir- 
ring constantly. Where large quantities are used it 
is best to take an empty barrel and fill it about one- 
fourth full with dry red lead and dry lampblack in 
the proper proportions, and head the barrel up. Then 
shake and roll the barrel for a few minutes, which 
will properly mix the two pigments and can be held 
in stock for use. 

Painting Picket Fences. — Method, with a care- 
ful economy of time, is the best way with painting 
fences, as with everything else. There is perhaps no 
other piece of plain work over which one could waste 
so much time and yet keep at his work all the while ; 
dawdling is the term to describe it ; going back over 
the work already done, and then over again to see 
what has not been done, until the slower worker with 
a method has outclassed you in the amount done. 
Take a panel at a time, dust all the footings and re- 
move obstructions, paint the right side edges of the 
whole panel first, then return, painting the left sides, 
finishing the rail between and lay off the fronts last. 



488 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



After .finishing four or five panels go to the back and 
lay off the back of the palings, or better, have a boy 
to do the back, instructing him well not to let there 
be runs and fat edges showing in front. 

To Color Electric Light Globes. — First, mix 
the white of one tgg, beaten to a frosting, and one 
pint of soft water. Strain through a very fine sieve, 
and make sure that no bubbles remain on the surface 
of the liquid. The bulbs should be carefully cleaned 
and polished, and then dipped into the mixture and 
hung up on a string to dry. After half an hour they 
should be dipped the second time to insure a perfect 
coating. When perfectly dry they are ready to be 
colored. For this, dissolve ten to thirty grains, ac- 
cording to the density of color desired, of any pow- 
dered aniline dye in four ounces of collodion. Dip 
the globes in this and hang up to dry. If not dark 
enough after about six hours, when they are dry, dip 
again. 

In commenting on the above, The American Drug- 
gist says : "We cannot vouch for its worth. There 
is always danger to be apprehended from the use of 
collodion on articles exposed to any degree of heat." 

A Paint for Wood or Stone That Resists 
Moisture. — Melt 12 ounces of resin; mix with it 
thoroughly six gallons of fish oil and one pound of 
melted sulphur ; mix some ochre, or any other color- 
ing substance with a little linseed oil, enough to give 
it the right color and thickness; apply several coats of 
the hot composition with a brush. The first coat 
"should be very thin. 

To Prevent Knots from Showing Through. — 
Shellac varnish is the most common knotting used. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 489 



but is not always effective. Years ago red lead mixed 
with glue size was used satisfactorily. For very par- 
ticular work, aluminum,, gold or silver leaf may be 
used, and is effective though more or less costly, and 
takes more time. The leaf must be applied on a size, 
gold size answering, and should cover a space slightly 
larger than the knot. As the size and leaf will cause 
a slight, elevation of. the surface, it would be well to 
rub down that part with sandpaper before laying the 
size and leaf. 

Here is a formula that is well recommended : Mix 
one-quarter pint of japanner's gold size, one tea- 
spoonful of dry red lead, one pint of benzine, and 
seven ounces of orange shellac; keep in a warm place 
until all of the shellac is dissolved ; shake it frequently 
also. White on red lead mixed, with gold size and ap- 
plied warm is another form of stopping this defect. 

The reason for knotting is not always well under- 
stood. It is necessary, because knots are end grain, 
lying at an angle to the main surface of the boards. 
They may cause trouble in several ways. The most 
important are— first, the great amount of suction ; 
secondly, exudation of sap ; thirdly, discoloration of 
the paint on account of sap of a pitchy nature pres- 
ent in all soft woods. Knotting stops suction and 
prevents discoloration. . It cannot, however, always 
prevent the exudation of' gum, as nothing will do 
this completely, but it may mitigate the trouble after 
heat has been applied to the affected part in order to 
draw out the gum. 

Tinting Lead. — It sometimes occurs that you 
have occasion to deepen the tone of a color a little, on 
the job, and have none of the proper color with you. 
It is a good, idea to take; along. to a. job some of each 



490 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



color used in the tinting, thinned a little with turpen- 
tine, in a bottle or other closed vessel, and then if 
needed it can easily be incorporated with the paint, 
besides which it will not get fatty as an oil paste 
color will. 

Cleaning Dirty Brick and Stone Work. — Soot 
and grime may be removed with strong caustic soda 
water, using a fiber brush. Allow the lye to remain 
on 15 minutes, and then wash off with clear water. 
Stains may be removed by rubbing with a flat piece 
of sandstone, or a brick to which has been added a 
little oxalic acid. About 8 ounces of acid to the pail 
of water. Wash off well with clear water. 

Painting on Leather. — Use japan colors, thin 
with turpentine, adding a little carriage finishing var- 
nish. Oil color or paint will not do. 

Red Lead in Priming Paint. — An English 
painter says that in England they never prime with- 
out adding some red lead to the paint, except where 
the color is to be dark. They add about a pound of 
red lead to 14 pounds white lead. This is thinned 
with 1/5 turpentine and 4/5 raw oil, with a little 
driers. He thinks this primer penetrates better than 
white lead alone, and holds coats of paint better. 
But too much red lead will work through and injure 
certain colors. He has burned off paint that was 
as much as 150 years old, and the knots, sized with 
red lead, were kept perfectly from staining the upper 
paint coats. 

Putty for Yellow Pine. — When making putty 
for Georgia or pitch pine, make it a good bit darker 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 491 



than a mere match for the wood, for in time the 
wood will become much darker and then your putty 
will appear quite light, and show every nail hole. 

How to Thicken Mixed Paint With Soap. — 
Use a soap made from rosin and oil, finely shaved 
and melted in boiling water. Don't use a tallow soap, 
as it will retard the drying of the paint too much. 

To Thin Coal Tar. — To thin up coal tar use coal 
tar naphtha, otherwise known as light oil. Solvent 
coal tar or 90 per cent, benzol is also a good thinner, 
but costs more than light oil. Heat coal tar before 
thinning with the liquid solvent. 

Keeping Paint in Good Condition After Mix- 
ing. — After paint has been mixed for use and left to 
stand, a skin will soon cover it. Better pour water 
on to cover, and on this pour a little oil, if you wish 
the paint to stand for some time, and the oil will 
prevent evaporation of the water. This is better 
than removing skin. 

Shellac on White Pine, Etc. — White pine or 
other wood that is to be painted and needs to be 
shellaced, should have the shellac on the bare wood, 
not on the priming coat. 

After Burning Off. — If after you have burned 
off some woodwork and find the surface in bad con- 
dition, part spongy and part hard, better glaze over 
with rough stuff, made from whiting and white lead 
and japan liquid, something like carriage painters 
use. Make as smooth as you can, and when dry, 
say in 24 hours, sandpaper it down. 



492 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

Quick Lead Paint. — To get a quick-drying white 
lead paint for any particular purpose, grind white 
lead in alcohol and thin with white shellac varnish. 
Flake white ground in pale japan and thinned with 

Cleaning Coal Tar Brushes. — For cleaning 
brushes used in coal tar use the light oil mentioned, 
or benzol. 

turpentine will dry hard within an hour in light 
coats. 

Old Paint Skins. — If you have old paint skins 
and wish to use them as paint, boil them with some 
raw oil. Just enoug'h heat to soften up the mass, 
and stir and add more oil as required. Heat is a 
great thing for softening: old or hard paint or lead, 
and makes it easy to work up. After heating or 
gently boiling the skins, add a little benzol, enough 
to cut them more, and then some benzine will help, 
making the mass liquid enough to pass easily through 
a paint strainer. After standing until cold the paint 
will likely be heavier, and when wanted for use, as 
on rough work, thin up with benzine or oil, according 
to use it is for. In this way dollars can be saved. 

Or the mass may be cut with sal soda and water, 
making an emulsion paint, one not as good as that 
produced by the first formula. Add at rate of a 
pound of sal soda to the gallon of water, covering 
the skins , with this solution, and stirring, then let 
it stand a few days to do its work. Then pour off the 
water that is on the top, and thin up with oil or 
benzine, or both, as. desired. 

Never prime with fatty paint, nor with paint made 
from old skins, etc Such paint, as well as boiled 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 493 



oil, will not penetrate the wood, nor afford a proper 
surface for holding subsequent coats of paint. 

Paint Streaking and Bleaching Out. — If the 
paint streaks under the brush it indicates poor mixing 
and want of straining. If the paint streaks after its 
application, and after drying, then it may be due to 
moisture, etc. 

Thinning Thick Boiled Oil. — Boiled oil that has 
become too thick may be strained by gradually stir- 
ring in turpentine or deodorized benzine until it be- 
comes sufficiently fluid. If this does not cause it to 
work freely, then add some raw oil. 

Spotting and Bleaching of Paint. — An oil 
painted surface in time loses its gloss in spots, and 
the cause is the driers. Litharge and sugar of lead 
driers both tend to make the oil paint spotty. Oil that 
was not properly tank-settled is another cause. 

Bleaching Dark Spots in Wood. — Knots and 
dark places in wood may be made lighter by use of 
chloride of lime, ij\ oz., and soda crystals, 2 oz., dis- 
solved in ig4 pints of water; after which, apply a 
solution of sulphurous (not sulphuric) acid. Pine 
knots cannot be bleached. 

Adding Water to Mixed Paint. — In white lead 
and zinc paint, water may be; added without the use 
of chemicals, by adding a very little at a time and 
stirring it in well. For other paints in which a larger 
percentage of water is to be incorporated, use this 
formula : 1 lb. sal soda, 1 lb. borax, each dissolved 
separately in 5 gals, boiling water;; mix, then add 



494 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



while stirring, 2 gals, raw linseed oil. Let stand 
three days then stir again and add a gallon of the 
mixture to every 10 gallons of mixed paint, if the 
paint is composed of lead and zinc. For paint com- 
posed of mineral or iron oxide brown, add only a 
gallon of mixture to 15 gallons mixed paint. More 
mixture than this in proportion will give a much 
poorer paint. Some ready-mixed paint makers use 
this formula because it holds up the paint better and 
does not allow the paint to become fatty. The ulti- 
mate effect is to make the paint coat porous, the 
water evaporating. 

Why Paint and Oil Become Fatty. — This con- 
dition is due to the elimination of glycerine from the 
oil used as a binder to the pigment, which renders the 
paint compound fatty or greasy, unless the pigments 
are such as will absorb the oxygen, such as red lead 
and red oxide of iron. — Standage. 

Preparing a Door for Graining. — This front 
door was badly blistered when I saw it. All old paint 
was burned off, the rosin in the wood was burned 
out, and then shellaced. Then the door was primed 
with red lead thinned with boiled oil, two parts, and 
turpentine, one part. When dry it was sandpapered 
and puttied with a mixture of dry white and red lead, 
equal parts, with a little whiting and japanner's 
gold size. When hard-dry this was sandpapered 
smooth and again painted with the white and red lead 
paint, after which coats the red lead was omitted, 
and the two coats of oak graining ground were ap- 
plied. The first of these two coats was mixed with 
rather more boiled oil than turpentine, but the gold 
size was used in both. The door was then grained 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 495 



and varnished, using good carriage varnish. At the 
end of two years there was no sign of blistering, or 
other fault. 

In other similar cases white lead was used with 
very little or no oil, but was worked through with 
turpentine and gold size. In these cases the color 
should be used rather heavy, but rubbed out well, in- 
stead of thinning it out so much to float it on easy. 
It is this latter kind of paint and painting that causes 
much of the blistering of paint. 

Cleaning Dirty Overalls. — Where clean over- 
alls are required once a week, as in city shops, they 
are taken to the steam laundry and made white. But, 
where this cannot be done, and the work must be 
done at home, here is a formula for a cleanser recom- 
mended by a blacksmith for very dirty work : Take 
about equal parts of lump ammonia, borax, lye and 
oxalic acid. Dissolve in a gallon of water, and use 
about a gill or two to a boiler of water. As no pro- 
portions of the ingredients are given, it must be left 
to the judgment of the woman, who will know what 
ought to be used. This lye solution is used in con- 
nection with the family wash, boiling all dark and 
dirty clothes together, but we would advise not doing 
painty overalls with the family clothes. And any of 
the soap powders on the market will take the place 
of the formula given. Dark spots, caused by strong 
tinting color in paint, may be bleached out with Ja- 
velle water, which is made from potash and fresh 
lime, or use bleaching powder, or chloride of lime. 

In the absence of other means, one may soak his 
dirty over-clothes in clear water, adding a pound of 
sal soda to the bucket of water, and letting the 
clothes soak as long' as may be necessary to loosen 



496 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



the paint. A day ought to be long enough, then take 
them out and lay on a board and scrub with scrub- 
bing brush and soap. Follow this with a good rinsing 
in clear water. Or boil the clothes in a wash boiler, 
with some soda or washing powder. 

Luminous Paint. — A luminous paint for signs 
and any work where luminosity is desired, may be 
prepared by mixing 10 lbs. white lead, ground in oil, 
one pint of pale rubbing varnish, one-half pint gold 
size japan, mixing to a thin paste, then add one-half 
pound of freshly calcined sulphate and add turpen- 
tine to make one-half gallon of paint. 

Fireproof Paint for Scenery. — Used in fire- 
proofing theatrical sceneries : Zinc white, 7 lbs. ; air- 
slacked lime, 3 lbs. ; raw linseed oil, 1 qt. ; dry white 
silicate of potash, 33 deg., 1 quart; dry white lead, 
5 lbs. ; zinc sulphate, 1 lb. ; water to form a paste. 
Mix the zinc, lime and sulphur together, then stir in 
the water-glass, and when this has combined, add the 
white lead and zinc sulphate, then thin with water to 
desired consistency. Mix only as required for im- 
mediate use. 

Painting Creosoted Shingles. — If the shingles 
have been exposed for some years they may safely be 
painted over, though the very light paint might be 
stained by some remaining creosote. 

Dipping Paint for Window Sash. — For cheap 
work, mix together 8 gals, gloss oil, or rosin and ben- 
zine mixture, 1 gal. raw linseed oil, and 1 gal. pale 
japan drier. Mix with this 25 lbs. bolted whiting, 
and strain. Thin with 2 gals, benzine. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 497 



Cleaning Enamel Paint. — To renovate an 
enameled paint surface first dust off and then cleanse 
with this: Have some precipitated chalk, though 
very fine whiting will do, though more liable to 
scratch, and with a damp rag - rub over the work with 
a gentle rubbing. Dip the rag, soft flannel is the best, 
into hot water, and wring out dry, and dip into the 
whiting. After this wash off with clear water and 
rub dry with a soft dry chamois. 

To Clean Dirty Painted Surface (walls par- 
ticularly). — Cut into thin slices a pound of good, 
brown soap, and put into three quarts of hot water; 
add one ounce of borax powder; let simmer on stove, 
but not boil. Stir now and then. Rub on with old 
flannel, and as you clean off wash with clear water. 
This will remove all dirt, and make the paint like 
new, without injuring it in the least. 

Cleansing Slate Blackboard. — To remove 
grease, oil or spots from a genuine slate blackboard, 
use paint and varnish remover, or benzol, or alcohol, 
and if these fail, try equal parts of banana oil, bisul- 
phide of carbon and fusel oil, mixed and applied with 
a sponge to parts affected. Strong ammonia may 
also be tried. 

How to Paint Window Blinds. — Never hold a 
window blind on its edge when painting it, inside of 
the rail, for it will cause the paint to run into the pin- 
holes, making the slats work badly when the paint is 
hard-dry. When you have painted the blind, set it 
up on its top part, so that any of the paint that may 
run will not run to the bottom end, and form edges 
that will catch on the window sill. Always open out 



498 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



the slats when done. Have a little stick for opening" 
and closing the slats when painting them. Leave 
hand-holds on the sides of the, shutters or blinds, for 
handling them until set up, then the hand-holds may 
be painted out. One may in this manner keep hands 
and tools clean. Nice, also, to have a rag to wipe 
the hands on. 

Painting Burlap. — To paint over faded burlap 
fasten any loose parts and apply a varnish size, after 
which it may be painted in the usual manner of wall 
painting. Either a gloss or flat finish may be made, 
or the last coat of proper color, may be glazed with 
any desired transparent color, applied thin and rub- 
bed out to give the desired scumbled effect. 

If the burlap has mildewed, then brush off with a 
stiff brush and apply this size : Dissolve 4 oz. alum 
in 1 gal. hot water, 4 oz. bluestone in 1 pint of water, 
2 oz. gelatine or fine white glue in 2 quarts of hot 
water, and 2 oz. sugar of lead in 1 quart of water. 
Mix separately and while hot, adding the bluestone 
solution last. Apply and allow it to dry. This is 
presumed to keep back any further mildew. 

Oil Stained Tile. — Oil stain is difficult to re- 
move from tile. Hydrochloric acid will not do it, 
and chloride of lime has only a temporary effect. 
Standage recommends this : Cover the part that is 
stained with soft soap, and after a few hours lay over 
it a piece of muslin, folded several times, first satur- 
ating the muslin with a strong solution of washing 
soda; then remove by scrubbing and washing, and 
wiping dry. Repeat if necessary. Or, try this : 
Two parts fullers' earth, one part each of soft soap 
and potash, all by weight. Mix with boiling water to 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 499 



a paste, apply, and in two or three hours remove and 
wash off. 

Cleaning Paint Pots. — Make a fire within the 
pot, with some paper or excelsior, and a few bits of 
wood, and set fire to it ; in a minute or two begin to 
scrape down the sides, and then dump out the fire 
and finish scraping, inside and out. Or, in a tub 
place 5 lbs. lump lime and add water enough only to 
slake it ; then add 2 libs, concentrated lye and water 
to make 15 gals. Stir, and put in the pots. Over 
night they may become fit to clean off by scraping 
and clear water. 

Glue Size on Old Work. — I painted a building, 
two sides of which was of new siding, the other sides 
old and rough. The new work got two coats of lead 
and oil, and the old work was glue-sized, with some 
whiting in the size, and then one coat of lead and oil. 
To-day, twenty years later, the old work is in better 
shape than the new. I made the glue size very thin, 
but there was enough whiting to make a paint of it. 
I applied the glue size coat with a whitewash brush. 
The old wood should be quite dry, and the glue size 
applied hot. 

To Prevent Aniline Red from Bleeding 
Through. — Mr. Whigelt gives this formula: Cop- 
peras (sulphate of iron) 1 lb.; hot water, 1 gal.; dis- 
solve. In another vessel mix together 1 lb. of alum 
and 1 gal. hot water. When both have been dissolved, 
mix together and apply freely. The copperas acts as 
a mordant, preventing aniline from bleeding through. 

Aniline Stain Comes Through Shellac. — ■ 
Shellac ordinarily holds back aniline water stain, but 



500 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



if it is a spirit stain, then the alcohol in the shellac, 
will act on the spirit aniline, and the latter will bleed 
through. Apply a coat of dark lead flat paint, after 
which moss down the varnish and apply whatever 
paint you desire for the finish. 

Paint Crawling. — To prevent paint from crawl- 
ing I take a piece of thick woolen goods or soft sole 
leather and tack on a block of wood. A few rubs on 
the surface to be painted with this tool will produce 
a warmth by friction that will fit the surface to take 
the paint as it should. — Anon. 

Pine Tar in Priming. — An experiment was made 
in 1900 in which a square, 100 feet, of Georgia pine, 
was nailed up on a southern exposure and primed 
with a mixture of pine tar one part, boiled linseed 
oil 3 parts, without addition of pigment. When per- 
fectly dry it was finished with two coats of white lead 
thinned with boiled oil. Examined after three sum- 
mers, it was found in good condition, no checks, 
cracks or chalking. It had long been the opinion of 
the experimenter that clear oil priming on either 
wood or iron was better than a paint. 

Gloss Varnish may be made my boiling a gallon 
of raw linseed oil for one hour, then adding two 
pounds of rosin, stirring the whole until perfectly 
amalgamated. Then add one-half pint of turpentine 
and an ounce of gum camphor ; then strain. 

Grain Paint. — -This is intended for priming a 
rough old exterior surface. Boil two pounds of rye 
flour, and while boiling add two pounds of thinned 
old paint, stirring the mass until perfectly homogen- 
ous. Apply one or two coats. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 501 



. To Clean Mouldy Wall. — Wash it off with a 
weak solution of hydrochloride of lime. Mildew may 
be removed with alcohol. 

Compound Paint. — A compound paint may be 
made from 50 lbs. white lead, 25 lbs. dry zinc white, 
and 25 lbs. best whiting (Paris white). Mix the zinc 
and whiting together and run through a strainer, then 
mix up the lead and stir it into the other mixture. 

Tacky Green Paint. — Of the different colors 
used on a certain job, the green alone failed to dry 
right, and on shaded or protected parts the green 
was very sticky. Both hand-mixed and ready-mixed 
greens acted this way. What was the trouble? The 
green may contain such non- or poor-drying pig- 
ments as drop black, ochre, barytes, clay or silica. 
Chrome yellow in this combination acts particularly 
bad. Prussian blue and chrome yellow would give a 
green much less liable to dry tacky. Likely the oil 
the green was ground in was spurious; still, the 
blacks and chrome yellow do badly even with pure 
linseed oil. Painters in seashore locations have this 
trouble with green, and also with Indian red and Tus- 
can red. They prevent the trouble by aTlding some 
spar varnish to the last coat, a pint to the gallon of 
paint. This gives a high gloss and hard surface, pre- 
venting the entrance of moisture, and the paint dries 
good enough. 

Painting Over Bleeding Red. — -To ascertain 
whether red is a bleeder or not, wet a rag with tur- 
pentine and apply it to the red, and if not a fast red, 
some of it will come off on the rag. If paint has been 
applied over a bleeding red, then the only thing to do 



502 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

is to remove the red entirely. Tf this is not feasible 
then apply two coats of shellac, and a good washable 
water paint, two coats, has been known to do the 
trick. Some obstinate cases are on record where 
three or more coats of the washable paint were neces- 
sary, but such is unusual. 

Paint Creeping. — After sizing - a wall with thin 
paint, then sizing this with glue size, to stop suction, 
the glue size creeps. What is the reason? Due to 
plaster being harder in spots. After priming with 
paint and it is dry, note any glossy spots and sand- 
paper them out. Make the glue size weak and brush 
in well. 

Running of Paint. — This is likely to occur in 
fall or winter, when the wood is cold, and more or 
less damp, on exterior work. As raw oil will not dry 
as fast as boiled oil, or raw oil containing driers, the 
paint mixed with it is more likely to run than other- 
wise. In two cases of the kind, addition of more drier 
cured the trouble. 

White Lead Thinning After Mixing. — Pulp 
lead, that which has been ground in water and the 
water not all eliminated will cause this by forming 
an emulsion with lead and oil. But there is another 
cause of the same trouble, and that is, the excess of 
hydroxide in the lead. 

Swedish Paint. — An emulsion of linseed oil, fish 
oil, or train oil, with a solution of soda or potash in 
water, to which any earthy pigment may be added to 
give covering power. The best grade is made after 
this factory formula : Grind 200 parts by weight of 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 503 



zinc oxide, and 20 parts yellow ochre ground in boiled 
linseed oil to a soft paste, thin it with 120 parts by 
weight of whale oil, 20 parts turpentine, and three 
parts liquid drier. To the mass add soda or potash 
solution according to grade desired. A cheaper for- 
mula is this : Boil 1 lb. zinc sulphate in 2 gals, rain- 
water until dissolved. While hot, add 5 lbs. rye flour, 
which cook to- a paste, and into this stir 3 lbs. whale 
oil into which has been melted over the fire 2 lbs. 
rosin, stirring until all is a homogenous mass. Earth 
colors may be added as desired. If too stout, thin up 
with hot water. This is intended for rough wood- 
work, as the first also is. 

Borax Solotion. — To make borax solution with 
water, take 10 parts borax, 30 parts coarsely pulver- 
ized shellac, and 200 parts water; dissolve by steam 
bath for a few hours, and when cold filter ; a few 
drops of glycerine will make it more pliable. 

Soda-glue Solution. — This is sometimes used in 
making cheap, ready-mixed paints. Formula : water, 
200 gals. ; sal soda, 5 lbs. ; borax, 1 lb. ; glue, 2 lbs. 
Mixes with oil, turpentine, etc. paints. 

Fireproof Paint. — There are many formulas. 
Here is a liquid for making one : To one gallon of 
a mixture of equal parts of lime water and vinegar, 
add 8 oz. table salt, and 4 oz. sulphate of zinc, each 
powdered. Boil this mixture, then add one gallon of 
boiled oil and repeat the boiling. Take from fire 
and stir in a gallon of crude petroleum, heat again, 
carefully now, on account of fire, bring to the boiling 
point, and it is done. Mix with any desired pigment 
to form a paint. 



504 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



A Drying Oil for Zinc Paint. — To make boiled 
oil especially adapted for zinc paint, or indeed for any- 
lead paint, mix one part binoxide of manganese in 
coarse powder, but not dusty, with ten parts of lin- 
seed oil. Keep it heated and frequently stirred for 
thirty hours, or until the oil begins to turn reddish. 

Cheap Dark Pigment. — A cheap paint may be 
made from two parts Venetian red to one part Paris 
white or gilders' bolted whiting. Paris whiting is 
one grade finer than gilders'. Mix to a paste with 
raw oil, and thin out with one part benzine to three 
parts oil, and 1/7 as much of gloss oil. Mix a pound 
each of bicarbonate of soda and phosphate of soda 
in hot water and stir into the paint. 

Another cheap paint : Mix together, dry, one part 
Venetian red and three parts ochre, adding white 
lead, in oil, to give body. Add about one part of lead. 
If the color is too bright, add some black. May be 
thinned with any cheap thinners as desired, and ac- 
cording to the character of the work. 

To Make a Drying Oil. — To a half-gallon of 
water add a pound of lead acetate (sugar of lead). 
Shake often, and when the lead acetate is dissolved 
add two quarts of water, then filter it, and put into 
three gallons of raw linseed oil, stirring in a pound 
of powdered litharge. Shake often, and let stand 
several days. The oil found at top of this mixture is 
the "drying oil," and must be poured off into another 
vessel. It is clear and bright, and dries in about 24 
hours. 

Thinning Oil Paint With Water. — This is an 
old trick. Place a pound of gum shellac, the white 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 505 



grade being better as to color, and one-half pound of 
sal soda in a vessel, which put on the stove and cover 
ingredients with water. Let it boil until contents are 
dissolved. When cool it may be put in bottles for use. 
Add to oil paint at the rate of one-half pint to the 
quart of paint. Stir it in, and after the paint has 
thickened up, add water enough to thin up to a work- 
ing consistency. 

Flat Oil-water Wall Paint. — May be made by 
taking fifty pounds of gilders' whiting and placing 
it in a tub, pour water on it until it is covered, and 
after standing, say all night, pour off any water that 
is on too and beat it up with two gallons of hard 
oil, or even with gloss oil, adding any color desired, 
using dry or distemper colors. Then thin it down 
with benzine or turpentine to a working consistency. 
Such a paint will dry flat and can be made very 
cheaply. 

Emulsion Solution. — 'Here is another emulsion 
solution for making cheap paint, it being a formula 
once used by a ready-mixed paint maker: 

Lime water 3 parts 

Lead and zinc solution i-| " 

Silicate of soda solution 1^ " 

Benzine 5 

Raw linseed oil 3 

The lead and zinc solution is made with two parts 
of sugar of lead (lead acetate) and four parts of zinc 
sulphate, dissolved in 16 parts of water. The silicate 
solution is made by dissolving one pound of sili- 
cate of soda in one gallon of warm water. 

Milk Paint. — Into a gallon of whole milk stir 
about three pounds portland cement, and any dry 



506 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

color you may choose. Sour milk, skim milk or but- 
termilk will also do, but the whole milk is best. Keep 
the paint stirred continually while using, as it settles 
quickly, and this is its worst feature. Once dry it is 
like cement, and will resist the weather for years. 
Good for barns, fences, stone walls, etc. 

Oil Thickener. — Substitutes for linseed oil are 
most generally based upon mineral oil, which is very 
thin, lacking the body of pure linseed oil. To give 
such an oil bod}' the following thickener may be used : 
Into 20 gals, hot water stir no lbs. oleic acid, add- 
ing gradually, in a stream, a soda lye made from yy 
per cent, caustic soda dissolved in 10 gals, water. 
This gives oleate of sodium upon boiling. Practically 
it is a soft soap. It is to be poured into a solution of 
alum, 70 lbs. alum in 202 gals, hot water. This in 
turn produces aluminum oleate, which is skimmed 
off and dried and mixed with oil, at the rate of 50 
lbs. to 200 gals, oil at a temperature of about 240 F., 
this heat being kept up until solution occurs. There 
you have a "thick oil" or "gelatine," for thickening 
or gelatinizing thin mineral oil. This thickener is 
like jelly, and is transparent, ranging in color from 
light straw to dark umber. It becomes very thick in 
cold weather. To mix with oil, heat the oil up to 
about 250 F., and measure or weigh out the thickener, 
and add it to the warm oil. It mixes easily and blends 
perfectly, so as not to be noticed. 

Petrifying Liquid. — This is much in use in Eng- 
land for use in washable water paints. Here is the 
formula used by one British paint maker : 

Wood alcohol 8 gals. 

Resin 8 lbs. 

Gum sandarach or shellac. ... 28 lbs. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 507 

Agitate until the gum is dissolved and then add 
two gallons of turpentine. If for inside use, a wall, 
mix white lead, say 3 lbs., with a gallon of good, 
hard varnish, preferably spirit varnish, like shellac, 
then add two gallons of the petrifying liquid, and 
thin it if necessary. For an outside wall omit the 
varnish. 

This "petrifying liquid" is much used for damp 
walls, both above and below ground. In place of 
wood alcohol use denatured alcohol. Some formulas 
call for no alcohol at all. 

Lime Water for Paint. — To make a lime water 
for mixing with paints, slake ^ bushel of fresh quick- 
lime in 40 gals, water, hot being best, and let it stand 
for 24 hours, then draw off the clear water for use. 
In a suitable vessel containing linseed oil slowly add 
the lime water, stirring in the pigment desired very 
gradually and thoroughly, until the mass becomes of 
suitable consistency. 

Effect of Frost On Fresh Paint. — If the paint 
is affected it will show a spongy surface, and the 
paint will have lost all gloss. This injury occurs 
usually at night, the part painted in daytime and dry 
or nearly dry before night coming through all right. 
I have noticed that a wind or breeze will cause the 
trouble, and that when there is no stirring of the 
wind the paint usually escapes unhurt. The frosted 
surface is soft and rough, and there is no remedy, 
unless another coat on it may be called such. The 
extent of the damage done to the integrity of the 
paint is unknown to me. Its worst result seems to 
be its mean appearance. Would advise not painting 
in afternoon or after mid-afternoon on such parts as 



508 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



are exposed to the direction of prevailing wind. It 
is not the cold that does the mischief, but the frosty- 
night air. 

Surface on Cracked Paint Without Burning 
Off. — Make a filler of whiting I lb., dry lead 2 oz., 
and glue 2 oz., the glue to be dissolved, of course. 
Apply with brush and use putty knife if necessary, 
though usually brushing it in will do. Let dry hard, 
rub down with sandpaper, apply three coats of paint, 
and a nice, smooth job results. 

Remove Locks, Etc., Before Painting. — When 
a room is to be repainted it is well to remove the 
knobs, locks, sash fasteners, etc., first, and before re- 
placing them soak in a little sal soda water and make 
them clean again. 

Emulsion Paint Solution. — The following for- 
mula is said to give a good solution for making emul- 
sion paint of good wearing qualities : 

Concentrated lye (potash) .... 1 lb. 

Dissolved in water 1 gal. 

Fresh quicklime 2 lbs. 

Slaked in water 4 gals. 

Good glue 1 lb. 

Dissolved in water 1 gal. 

Zinc sulphate . 2 lbs. 

Dissolved in water 3 gals. 

Whiting 100 lbs. 

The four solutions are prepared in separate vessels. 
Add the lye to the lime water, pour in the glue solu- 
tion, and finally add the zinc solution. Add water to 
make 20 gals., and stir in the whiting. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 509 



Flat-oil Turpentine Paint. — Use white lead or 
zinc, or both together, as desired, add any desired 
coloring or leave white — the usual way — and thin 
with turpentine. This is really only a dull, not a 
strictly flat paint, as in the latter case all oil must be 
omitted. This paint is washable also if a little hard- 
drying varnish is added. 

Softening White Lead Hard in Keg. — Dig out 
the lead and place in a vessel that may be set on the 
back part of the stove, where a gentle heat will soften 
the lead. Add a small quantity of raw oil to the mass. 
When sufficiently heated through the lead can easily 
be mixed for use. Heat is a great softener of hard 
lead, zinc, putty, etc. 

To Hasten Drying of Paint. — Without adding 
more driers, which tend to make the paint too soft. 
It is said that the addition of water glass (silicate of 
soda) at the rate of one-fourth of the bulk of the 
paint, will cause the paint to dry quickly. Being an 
alkali, its effect would be to emulsify the paint some- 
what, hence, and having never tried it. we would say 
try it as an experiment first. 

Preserving Zinc White In Oil from Harden- 
ing. — 'When the zinc can or other container is left to 
stand for some time, the top hardens, often to quite 
a depth, and this hard zinc is almost beyond mixing 
unless run through a mill. We heat it. and then can 
mix it. But, to prevent it, level the surface of the 
zinc and spread over it the oil that comes to the top, 
then lay a neatly-fitting sheet of paper over it and 
press it down tight, so that the air cannot get under 
it. Whenever you wish to get out any of the zinc, 



510 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



raise and remove the sheet, and when done replace 
it again. We find some white lead makers use this 
plan, covering their containers wtih the paper, so that 
when it is opened the paper can be easily removed 
and replaced again, keeping the paste in good form. 

Painting Oil Cloth. — To make oil cloth, first 
paint the cloth with a hot solution of soft soap, dry 
it, then size with hot alum solution, dry it, then paint 
with oil color made from fine pigments, plenty of 
good driers, oil and some turpentine. Finish with a 
thin coating of good copal varnish. Harden at a 
temperature of 200 F. 

Glue Size on Interior Wall. — How should glue 
size be used under paint so that the paint will not 
peel off? First apply to the wall on the plaster a 
coat of flat wall paint ; when this is dry apply a thin 
coat of glue and alum size. Finish with a coat of 
flat wall paint. The paint will not peel off. 

Best Time for Exterior Painting. — An expert 
master painter tells us that ''when Nature gets her 
ovens to going is the best time to paint." In other 
words, paint will dry better in July and August than 
at any other time of the year. In spring there is 
much wet or dampness, and paint does not dry well. 

Opinions as to the best time for painting differ 
largely; but nearlv all the standard authorities con- 
cur in the opinion that a temperature of from 55 ° to 
8o° and an atmosphere that is as free from moisture 
as possible favor the best results. 

Repairing Over Sanded Work. — If the sanded 
surface is in very good condition, it will be well to 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 511 



paint and sand over it. If not in good condition then 
scrape off old sand. It cannot easily be burned off. 
Before scraping off saturate the old stuff with coal 
oil or benzol. If coal oil or heavy mineral is used, 
let it soak in for a few days. 

Paint for Horse Stable. — In the main the paint 
used for general house painting may be used on a 
stable, inside and out, only on account of fumes of 
ammonia from the manure, white lead cannot be used. 

Graining Over White Enamel Paint. — If you 
do not care to remove the enamel paint rub it with 
steel wool, to remove the varnish gloss, and to the 
coat of paint first applied add a little rubbing varnish, 
which will prevent all scaling. The gloss may also be 
removed with sal soda water, or with benzol. Either 
of these will cut the gloss, and that is the main thing 
to do in the case. 

Painting Tarred Paper Roof. — Some roofing 
has had an asphaltum coating, the most inferior hav- 
ing coal tar. To paint over such roofing one may 
use oil paint, but asphaltum varnish will be better. 
Make the varnish thin with turpentine or benzine. 
Makers of the best asphaltum coated roofing claim 
that it will never require painting, and this is no doubt 
so. 

Iron Oxide Paint Losing Its Lustre. — This 
often occurs with iron oxide paint when mixed with 
raw oil, and more particularly if a little tupentine has 
been added. The trouble may be avoided by thinning 
the paint with boiled oil, adding a little exterior var- 
nish or japan gold size. 



512 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



Painting on Stucco Decorations. — First brush 
down the work and make it clean. Then prime it 
with equal parts by weight of white lead, red lead, 
and boiled oil. Second coat with white lead paint 
and a little driers added; color if desired. The thin- 
ning mixture for this coat is made of two parts boiled 
oil and one part turpentine. Third coat the same, 
and if a fourth coat is used, use little or no turpentine 
with it. 

Salt Affecting Paint. — A paint for a warehouse 
where salt was stored was desired, and one that would 
not be affected by the salt. Probably nothing is better 
than red lead, for this is used on the Italian ships 
which bring salt to Gloucester, Mass. These ships 
are of iron, or steel, and wherever rusting occurs 
from the salt may be seen daubs of red lead paint. 
Even the white exterior is seen daubed with red lead. 

Painting Canvas for Roof or Floor. — Using, 
say, 8-ounce weight canvas, stretch it and tack with 
galvanized tacks. After coating the under side and 
allowing it to dry, w r et the upper side with water and 
paint while the canvas is damp. This will seem 
strange, but it has been found that it makes the can- 
vas more waterproof. 

When Is Paint Drv? — Or how long should ex- 
terior paint stand before applying the next coat? In 
a general way we might say 24 hours, but it depends. 
One painter says he allows it ten days, or more, ac- 
cording to the weather. Our opinion is that 24 hours, 
under average conditions, is sufficient, and that if we 
allow the paint to become too dry it will not take 
and amalgamate with the succeeding coat well. An 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 513 



authority says that the coats of paint when applied 
at such an interval as 24 hours or so will become one 
coating, the oil from the upper coats penetrating and 
mixing with the under coats, so forming a homo- 
genous mass. 

Painting Over Coal Tar. — Where careless work- 
men have smeared coal tar, or wheic pipes have been 
coated with it, and it is desired to paint over same, 
scrape away all the tar possible and coat it over with 
very thin brown shellac. 

Prepared Rosin. — This is a synthetic rosin, made 
by German chemists. There are common rosin, 
white rosin, water-white rosin, for shellac substitute, 
this being the highest priced. 

Insoluble White Shellac Gum. — When shellac 
has been over treated with chlorine, it is very apt to 
be insoluble in alcohol, but if it is first moistened with 
1/20 of its weight of ether and allowed to swell in 
a closed vessel, its solubility in alcohol is restored. 

Gray and Grey. — Two ways of spelling the same 
word. Gray is the old Anglo-Saxon way. Grey is 
the modern way, and is used to specify greys, known 
as French grey, etc., in millinery, etc. Most diction- 
aries make no distinction between the two forms, but 
many writers on color use the word gray to indicate 
mixtures of black and white, to form gray, and shad- 
ows or grayness; and grey to indicate those greys in 
which purple tones are noticeable. 

Mixing Paint for Frosty Weather. — A painter 
wished to know how white lead should be thinned 



514 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



for use in frosty weather, so that on the finish it will 
not curtain or shrivel. The only difference in the 
mixing would be that some turpentine might be added 
to allow of easier spreading, being careful not to add 
enough to injure the gloss desired for the finish. 

Varnish In Exterior Paint. — A little good spar 
varnish will make the paint somewhat harder, and 
hence add to its wearing quality, but as a general 
proposition it is not deemed well to add varnish to 
exterior oil paint; it does better with flat paint. 

Painter's Cream. — This is a preparation used by 
artists for preserving an unfinished oil painting until 
they can resume work on it, or to prevent drying of 
work already done. It might be used on ornamental 
work in oil on ceilings. It can easily be removed. 
The only formula we know of is to mix and triturate 
one and one-half pounds bleached walnut or poppy- 
seed oil, preferably the former, one-quarter pound 
gum mastic, finely pulverized, and one ounce white 
sugar of lead that has been ground fine in oil, in 
paste form, as it is sold to artists in tubes. When 
this mixture has been well beaten up, forming a uni- 
form mass, add water slowly until it is the consist- 
ency of thick cream. 

Making Moving Picture Screen. — So far I 
have not seen any one able to apply bronze without 
showing streaks when the light is thrown on. The 
Radium Gold Fiber Screen is a bronze screen that 
sells for from $40 to $60. I and others have been 
trying to make a screen "that would give the same 
effects for less money, and here is what we have, and 
it gives just as good a picture: Get the canvas in a 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 515 



piece a little longer than you want your screen to 
be, and give it a weak glue size, then a thin coat of 
flat paint. If it is not to be handled much, get win- 
dow shade cloth or linoleum, as these do not have to 
be prepared; some use the latter. 

If you use canvas or window shade cloth, stretch 
it on a frame and lay it on the floor; build a scaf- 
fold on both sides of it, so you can have a plank or 
two to work on, about a foot above the frame. If you 
know how to make bronze size, all right; if not, get 
a good gold size that will come to a tack in about 
two hours. Now, take 2/3 lb. aluminum powder of 
best grade, and 1/3 lb. of gold striping bronze pow- 
der, mixing the two thoroughly together. Get a 
good sized pepper box, and, after the size is right, 
dust the bronze on: don't be afraid of getting too 
much on, for the size will take up only so much ; 
then tilt the curtain one way, and then the other way, 
and be sure not to g'et your fingers on it until it is 
good and dry. Don't use a pounce, for that will 
cause streaks. In this way you will have just as good 
a job as one costing $50, a screen not to be surpassed 
outside of the Mirror Screen, which not many can 
afford. 

The calciminecl screens are not used much any 
more. 

Paint Peeling. — A house painted about sixteen 
years, when repainted, after previously having been 
painted at least twice without any defection, peeled 
off in scales, on all sides, and all over, and was not 
due to moisture. Best oil used with lead. The paint 
skins were examined by a chemist and found to be not 
pure white lead, though it could not be said which 
coat contained this dope lead. The last coat of paint 



516 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

was applied two years before scaling. The fact that 
the paint scaled clear to the wood indicates that the 
trouble was due to the priming coat. The scales 
were very heavy, and the paint was too thick to hold 
well. The priming coat was of some hard material, 
probably barytes or other inert, hard pigment, usually 
added to dope leads, and the subsequent coats could 
not penetrate this, failing which there was no bond of 
union with the wood. When the primer is of pure 
raw oil and white lead, subsequent coats of the same 
material will cement and form a close bond with the 
wood. 

Blistering, Cracking and Scaling of Paint. — 
Dampness, unsuitable materials, unfavorable condi- 
tions for the work, paint not adapted to the work, 
yellow ochre priming, cheap ochre in oil or dry, white 
or gray ochre priming, fat paint on priming, ochre 
soaked in oil for a long time before using for prim- 
ing, or for coloring lead, colors made of ochre, green, 
red or black, in oil, and hardly any white lead, and 
no tupentine, undry priming coat when second coat 
is put on, poor priming coat, not enough raw oil, coal 
oil and benzine thinners, cheap ready-mixed paint, 
sappy wood, these are some of the main causes. 

Blistering never used to occur when we used pure 
raw oil and white lead paint, and gave each coat time 
to dry in. Nor did it ever crack, scale or powder off, 

"I have noticed on many old houses where sash 
have always been painted black, never leaded with a 
first coat, front doors or outside doors and blinds 
always painted green, dark brown or red, that they 
never crack, but have a smallpox appearance ; and on 
the house proper, where lead, oil and turps have been 
used, there is an absence of either blisters, cracking 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 517 



or scaling. Now, as to cracking, if we should prime 
a building with a fat material composed of ochre, red, 
green or black, and apply one or more coats of zinc 
and lead, or apply the same number of coats of mixed 
paints, that in some mixed paints in the light shades, 
you will have one of the best alligatored jobs, more 
so than if lead and oil had been used. The cause is, 
the mixture, whether lead, zinc or oil or mixed paint, 
is altogether too inelastic and brittle for the under 
coat. 

"Scaling is also caused by dampness and sappy 
wood on certain parts of a building, but that is of 
rare occurrence, as compared with the many blistered 
and cracked jobs with which we come in contact in 
large cities. 

"When a cheap primer is used or a paint composed 
of dark colors or other than lead and oil, it will blis- 
ter where shaded, such as under porch roofs, but 
not on exposed surfaces, where it will crack and curl 
up. On porch columns, one-fourth or one-fifth of 
the column will show blisters because the undercoat 
was not hard. The sun shining on it will boil the 
moisture underneath, and it will expand, and result 
in a blister. If you had used mixed paint or paint 
with zinc in it, the outside will dry hard and crack. 
Your old material and extremely dark colors used 
for priming or painting a house will always cause 
blistering. Most painters will recommend dark colors 
because they are cheaper to put on than lead, the 
work not requiring* so much care. That paint does 
not get as hard as lead. A man will trim the house 
with two coats of color, just alike, and the result is 
a mass of blisters. It is the painting done ten, fifteen 
or twenty years ago that is causing the trouble. How 
many painters use lead on outside blinds or front 



518 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



doors? The main part of the house, painted white, 
does not crack, peel or blister. The dark colors are 
a mass of blisters. "^Correspondent. 

Raw and Boiled Oil In Paint Blistering. — 
Will blistering be more likely to result from the use 
of boiled oil than raw? It is generally thought and 
believed that boiled oil causes blistering of paint, but 
the trouble may be due to not thinning the paint 
properly. A master painter, speaking on the subject, 
says : 

"The coats may have been too thick, or too little 
turpentine was placed in the priming coat to secure 
proper penetration. Boiled oil should not be used 
in the priming coat, I think, but if so used then add 
plenty of turpentine, making the paint thinner and 
brushing out the paint well, nice and smooth. The 
painter, as a rule, puts on too heavy a coat of paint, 
and does not brush it out well. Probably one-third 
more paint than is necessary is used on a house out- 
side. Where a man rubs his brush out in the shop 
you never see any blistering. Have you ever noticed 
this fact? If not, then look at the place where the 
men rub their brushes out, after taking them from 
water or paint. Some will object to rubbing out on 
the priming, many flow it on and allow the wood to 
take up all it can ; but there is a limit, even here. The 
wood may leave too much unabsorbed on the surface. 
But boiled oil will not penetrate well unless thinned 
with the turpentine. You will, of course, use less 
with raw oil." — Anon. 

Paint Scaling from Iron Work. — -"The first 
thing we are asked to do in a new structure is to 
prime frames and iron work. If so specified, the iron 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 519 

work sometimes comes first, coated with red lead or 
graphite. When it comes coated with graphite it is 
generally tar mixture, and when coated with red lead 
the iron is so rough it cannot peel or dust off when 
not exposed to the weather. Some factories use most 
any kind of dope, and when you find the red lead 
dope on galvanized iron frames and the building not 
more than half completed and the red scaling off, 
or by friction of the hand, you can readily see what 
kind of oil it contains. (This is the fast drying kind.) 
Then the painter has to put his finish over this dope, 
which may last about as long as a paint will on the 
doped "iron fences." Then the painter is up against 
it, and is due to make necessary explanations of scal- 
ing, etc." — A. Smith. 

Time Between Coats. — How long should the first 
coat be allowed to dry and harden before applying 
the next coat? I make it a rule in my business to 
let it stand ten days or more, according to the weather. 
It is not so much a matter of applying a heavy coat- 
ing of pigment to make a good job of painting as 
to make it even and uniform. This can't be done on 
a soft surface. — Correspondent. 

Adding Whiting to Red Lead. — Red lead can 
stand the addition of whiting without injury. The 
weakness of whiting as a color does not affect it 
much, if at all, in the matter of color. Adding whit- 
ing to red lead has an advantage. It serves the same 
end as adding water, viz., it keeps the lead suspended 
and prevents its settlement, which is such a feature in 
red lead. The addition of a small proportion of 
whiting should in no way affect the durability of the 
coat of red lead. Red lead is used largely for paint- 



520 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



ing iron structures and machinery. Owing to its 
heavy nature and the non-absorbent character of iron, 
it is very apt to run. The addition of whiting checks 
this tendency. 

To Restore Gloss to Frosted Paint. — In winter 
no exposed painting should be done after noon, or 
the frost may take off the gloss. A cloudless night 
is almost sure to be frosty. When the work has 
been nipped with the frost, the gloss may be brought 
out again by rubbing it over with a rag saturated 
with raw oil. 

The Discoloration of White Paints. — A paint 
that absolutely and literally remains white for an un- 
limited period is unknown, and it is of interest, there- 
fore to study even briefly the causes and conditions 
that lead to films of white paint changing color. 

The principal causes that induce change of color 
may be grouped under one or the other of two heads : 

( i ) Causes outside the paint itself ; as, for ex- 
ample, the presence of smoke, soot, dust, certain 
chemical gases, etc., in the air. 

(2) Causes or conditions inherent in the paint 
itself or in the underlying surface. 

Among the latter, a common and probably the 
dominant cause is the darkening in color of linseed 
oil on exposure. This darkening in color is a uni- 
versal property of linseed oil, although it does not al- 
ways proceed to the same limit. For example, the 
change in color may consist merely in a slight yel- 
lowing, or it may proceed to such an extent as to ren- 
der what was originally a white surface deep ivory 
or stone color. This darkening in the dried linseed 
oil is usually aggravated by the action of the driers 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 521 



contained in the paint, and certain drying materials 
are found to be much more prone to cause discolora- 
tion of the oil than others. 

Now a curious fact is that, in spite of the natual 
tendency of all white paints (especially those contain- 
ing a tangible proportion of linseed oil) to darken 
in color on exposure, it frequently happens that side 
by side with the darkening there proceeds a contrary 
bleaching action through the agency of the light; 
and these two actions may, under certain conditions, 
so neutralize and mutually destroy each other as to 
render the paint film almost permanently white dur- 
ing the life of the film. 

In such cases it must not be supposed that there 
has been no tendency to darken, or that darkening 
would not have occurred had the conditions been fa- 
vorable. What has really occurred is that the dark- 
ening has been stopped and neutralized by the bleach- 
ing action of the light. This bleaching action is be- 
lieved to be due to the formation of minute quanti- 
ties of peroxide of hydrogen, which is, as is well 
known, a powerful bleaching agent. 

Chalking of White Lead. — The chalking of 
white paint on exposed surfaces is something which 
is peculiar to*lead and does not in any way imply 
that the paint was not of the best quality. Adulter- 
ating white lead paint by adding whiting, would not 
increase its tendency to chalk. It would only mean 
less lead and more oil, and be equivalent to a thin 
coat, which could, perhaps, be applied just as well 
without the whiting. Whiting in oil has practically 
no body, therefore, it is of doubtful service as an 
adulterant of white lead except to prevent running. 
With red lead it is different. 



S22 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

"We are all familiar with lead paints chalking. 
Old work that is in this condition needs careful treat- 
ment, and a good, permanent job will be the result. 
I never allow any turpentine or so-called spreaders 
to go on any old work (meaning on the exterior, of 
course). Where such adulteration of paints (I may 
call it) is resorted to the under coating will remain 
brittle, and no top coat will last long." — Corres- 
pondent. 

Paint Fading in Spots. — When paint fades in 
spots it is due many times to the fact that the last 
coat was not the same color as the coat underneath. 
The paint may have been carelessly put on, thinner 
in some places than in others. The thin places in 
time wear off and show the undercoat, while the 
thicker places will remain as put on. 

Mildew is another cause. This happens usually in 
damp, hot weather, and is not always the fault of 
the paint or the painter. Mildew is a fungus growth 
which dyes and stains the paint. Conditions favor- 
able to the growth of mildew may be caused by the 
use of too much japan, making the paint soft and 
tacky, or by using old paints which have stood open 
with dryers in them. 

Paint Runs, Sags or Wrinkles. — Lead and oil 
paint runs and sags, only when mixed too thin, and 
too much put on, which is the case with all oil paints. 
Paint may run, sag, and fail to dry solid, because 
mixed with a compound largely made of coal oil, fish 
or rosin oil. 

When given a good body and properly applied, 
pure white lead paint is the least liable to run or sag 
of any other paint, and it will sag or run only when 
improperly applied or mixed with bad oil. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 523 



Paint often wrinkles because of frost forming on 
it before the paint is dry, especially if the paint is 
mixed thin and flooded on. Paint may wrinkle in 
drying - during- hot weather, if mixed too thin and 
flooded on too plentifully. 

Paint with good body will sometimes wrinkle if too 
much is put on to dry solid. Pitting is often caused 
by rain or hail before the paint dries. 

Paint Tacky. — This most annoying trouble is 
often traceable to a soft undercoat. Sometimes the 
old fault of putting - too much driers in undercoat- 
ing is the cause, by giving the paint a hard surface 
before the air can oxidize the body of the paint. In 
such a case the oil never hardens, and would gradually 
cause the softening of the surface coats, even hard 
church oak varnish becoming tacky by this means. 

Paint Blistering on Knots. — The knots having 
been coated with shellac, that makes a hard surface 
that paint does not adhere to well, and when the 
sun gets at it, the paint raises up easily. 

Paint Scaling on Metals. — The scaling of paint 
on iron, zinc and other metals is due to three causes 
— sweating, expansion and contraction, and a non- 
porous surface. The sweating of the iron results 
in moisture, consequently in time the coat of paint is 
affected in a similar manner to that of the wet lum- 
ber. Contraction and expansion of iron and paint, 
being similar, results in the cracking of the paint, and 
its final dropping off. Cracking may be said to be 
due entirely to uneven expansion and contraction, 
as may be proved by applying a quick-drying coat of 
color over a slow-drying paint, or vice irrsa. Zinc 



524 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



and galvanized iron are illustrations of a non-porous 
surface, the grain being so close that there is no foot- 
hold for the paint; therefore, such surfaces should 
first be roughed with an acid or oxidizing solution. 

Running of Paint. — The running of paint may 
be due to two or three causes. The paint may be ap- 
plied too thickly for the kind of paint used; for ex- 
ample, to put on as thick a coat of very thin paint as 
paint containing a larger percentage of pigment, 
would inevitably result in the paint running. Of 
course, linseed oil alone can be applied to a surface 
with a brush without running, provided too much is 
not put on, and the greater the percentage of liquid 
in a paint, the thinner the coat must necessarily be. 
This application of thin coats is a very common fault, 
especially in contract painting. Where the pigment 
is strong in coloring and covering power, the tempta- 
tion is to put on very thin coats, which temptation is 
increased 'by the fact that thin coats dry quicker than 
thick ones. Of course, with proper care in using a 
very thin paint, there need be no difficulty from run- 
ning. Another cause which may lead to running is 
want of proper grinding. The finer and better mixed 
the pigment and liquid are, the less the tendency to 
run. A paint mixed up by simply stirring the dry 
pigment into the liquid is more apt to run than one 
which has been ground. The oil leaves the coarser 
portions of the pigment, and carries off the finer por- 
tions with it, resulting in streaks down the work. 
With proper portions between the liquid and pigment, 
this difficulty can be obviated, but some pigments, 
as is well known, cannot be ground, and are there- 
fore, always used by simply mixing with the liquid, 
but a paint otherwise good and properly proportioned 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 525 



may give difficulty from running, if it was not finely 
enough ground. Still another cause of running is too 
long a time after the paint is put on before it sets. 
We have mixed up two paints, one of which would 
take a set, although not dry, in from six to eight 
hours, and another which would not take a set in 
twice that time, the amount of pigment and the grind- 
ing being exactly the same, and the second would 
run, while the first would not. It is very easy to 
see why this should be so. A thin layer composed of 
liquid and pigment, maintaining its limpidity, and 
being in a vertical position for a long time, will run 
off from the surface more readily than one which 
does not maintain its limpidity, although other things 
are the same. The paint which takes a set, thereby 
losing its limpidity, resists the strain which produces 
the flowing or running in the other paint. Adulter- 
ated oil, especially linseed oil, containing petroleum 
product, is liable to this same difficulty, and for the 
same reason, namely, the oil on the surface maintains 
its limpidity for a long time, thus giving gravity a 
long time in which to act upon the paint. The ob- 
vious remedy for running due to this cause is to use 
such an amount of drier, with pure oil, that it will 
take a set in from four to eight hours, and where the 
difficulty is due to adulterated oil, the remedy is ap- 
parent without explanation. 

Brush Marks on Painted Work. — The difficulty 
of the brush marks remaining prominent in paint is 
largely a question of the relative amounts of liquid 
and pigment, although not wholly so. The nature of 
the liquid used comes in as an element. For example, 
if a large amount of very thick japan is a constituent 
of the paint, or a heavy, viscous, boiled oil, other 



526 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



things being' equal, the brush marks will have a ten- 
dency to be more prominent than where raw linseed 
oil and a limpid japan are used, but the proportions of 
liquid and pigment are, nevertheless, in all cases the 
important consideration. If the liquid is viscous and 
sluggish in movement, less pigment is required; with 
a very limpid liquid more pigment can be used, with- 
out causing the brush marks to be prominent. It is 
also quite probable that the grinding has an influence 
on the degree of permanence of the brush marks. 
Coarsely ground paint, under no circumstances, 
would allow the brush to flow out as readily as where 
the paint is in a very fine state of division, and with 
that perfect union between the pigment and the liquid 
which is produced by fine grinding. 

Streaked and Spotted Painting. — Streaked or 
spotted painting may be due to two or three causes. 
It often happens that the pigments made use of are 
what may fairly be termed "composite," by which is 
meant different chemical substances constitute pig- 
ments, and often in cases where the pigment is nearly 
all one chemical substance, as in chrome yellow or 
white lead, it frequently follows that materials made 
at different times differ in both shade and fineness, 
but are subsequently mixed together. In cases where 
a pigment is composite, our experiments seem to in- 
dicate that there is a tendency for the very finest 
particles to separate from those which are coarser, 
so that each successive brush ful taken out of the 
bucket may contain a larger percentage of the fine, 
and a smaller percentage of the coarse particles than 
the previous brushful, at least while the first half of 
the bucketful is being used out. In some paints it 
is actually noticeable that the last end of the job is 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 527 



of a different shade from the first, especially if the 
painter has not stirred his bucket of paint frequently. 
This separation of the different constituents of the 
paint is also especially true of those composite pig- 
ments which are made up of some heavy bases, with 
some organic or light coloring matter; for example, 
Tuscan red, which, as is well known, is a mixture of 
oxide of iron known as Indian red, with some of the 
red lakes. It may fairly be claimed that this diffi- 
culty of spotted or streaked work is more a question 
of care on the part of the painter than of the proper 
mixing or proportioning of the paint, and this is to 
a certain extent true, but it is not wholly so. Poorly 
ground paint is especially liable to give streaked re- 
sults, and no amount of subsequent stirring or mixing" 
on the part of the painter will make a pigment con- 
sisting of very coarse and very fine particles a good 
one to spread, or make it give a good-looking job. 
Both fine grinding and great care on the part of the 
painter are essential to obviate this difficulty. It, of 
course, goes without saying, that those pigments 
which, from their nature, have a tendency to produce 
this difficulty, should not be mixed where it can be 
avoided, although in our belief fine grinding will 
almost entirely overcome it with any pigments, what- 
ever thev may be. 

Peeling of Paint. — Also called scaling, and 
usually includes cracking. Causes, undry lumber, 
dampness back of the wood, ochre priming, defective 
old paint, resinous wood, boiled oil in the priming 
coat, barytes or zinc white in the priming' coat, or in 
excessive amount in the succeeding coats, petroleum 
oil in the paint, fatty linseed oil, and bad paint mix- 
tures. It is well known that paint will not adhere 



528 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



permanently on a paint in which there is some form 
of petroleum oil. This is the worst fault of any form 
of petroleum oil in paint. Too much zinc white and 
too much barytes will both cause a too hard surface, 
and as a paint the mixture becomes very brittle and 
scales off. Ochre priming will not hold successive 
coats, as it is a very hard pigment. Also a priming 
coat made up mostly of dark colors will not hold well. 
Such a primer will cause cracking and curling of the 
paint when exposed to the weather, and blistering in 
shaded or protected parts. Dark color is preferred 
by some painters for priming with, because cheaper 
than white lead, and the work may be done with less 
care or trouble. Such a paint will not become sufn- 
cientlv hard, and will cause trouble some time. Much 
paint scaling has its cause in painting done several 
years before, and done poorly, so that when a fresh 
coat is applied the under paint is softened up and 
causes the upper coating to yield. 

A correspondent tells of a house that gives trouble 
every time it is painted, the house having been painted 
with a low-grade ready-mixed paint years ago. The 
only cure is to remove all the old paint. Or, if the 
remedy advised by one of our correspondents is cor- 
rect, you can apply a coat of concentrated lye, made 
of such strength as will merely soften the paint a lit- 
tle, after which allow the surface to dry thoroughly, 
when a coat of good raw linseed oil paint may be 
applied, or as many coats as desired. This, he says, 
will give a good job. 

Paint will crack if the under coats have not had 
time in which to become perfectly dry before the suc- 
ceeding coats are applied. Mulder, the famous chem- 
ist, says this is because the under coat must have 
air, for even paint must breathe, or have oxygen, 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAJNTER 529 

and in order to get this the under coat of paint will 
rupture the upper coat. It is best always to allow 
a coat of paint several days to dry in before applying 
another coat. 

A correspondent says : "I have the pleasure of 
saying that, after thirty years at the business, I have 
the first job of painting to peel for me. I have made 
many tests to ascertain why exterior walls as well 
as interior walls show paint deterioration. There is 
one house in this town that I painted 25 years ago, 
and it is in a better state of preservation to-day than 
many jobs done five years ago. Any painter may feel 
safe about his painting if he will be careful about the 
priming coat. The old way was to allow the priming 
coat to get quite dry, hard even, before applying the 
second coat, but now we apply the coats as fast as we 
can get them on. I use the best raw linseed oil and 
pure white lead for priming or other coats, and see 
that the surface that is to be painted is dry. I do not 
confine myself to my mixing of paint, however, but 
use any reputable ready-mixed paint, thinned with 
pure raw oil." 

Blistering. — Blistering of paint is sometimes 
caused by dampness. The wood may appear to be 
dry, yet may contain some moisture, and when the 
paint is applied it does not sink into the wood, but 
dries on the surface ; when the sun strikes such a 
place the paint will rise up, the heat of the sun caus- 
ing the layer of paint to come away from the wood, 
and form a blister. Open such a blister and it will 
be found to contain moisture. Then in time the mois- 
ture goes back into the wood, not being able to get 
through the paint film, the latter drying and becom- 



530 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



ing brittle. That is the life history of many a blis- 
ter. 

Blistering may be caused by a poor under coat of 
paint, the paint containing little pure oil, but mainly 
mineral oil, and over this the succeeding coats of paint 
will not stay, or will not adhere to the poor under 
coat. I have found to my entire satisfaction that 
where a paint has been thinned with more or less 
petroleum oil the upper coats will not attach, but 
will come away or form in blisters, in time. Or the 
upper surface will be full of fine cracks. Ochre of 
any kind, but particularly the cheap grades, thinned 
with any old thinner, will cause blistering of the paint. 
Alligatoring also comes from this source. As stated 
in another place, under the head of "Priming," the 
first, or priming coat, is a very important one, and 
if it is rig'ht there will be little trouble from blistering. 

It has been noticed that dark color will blister 
worse than light paint, and this on shaded parts 
worst, as under porch roofs ; on exposed parts the 
paint will crack or curl up. This blistering of paint 
is explained in this way: the dark pigments take up 
more oil, and do not dry as hard nor as soon as lead 
paint; and hence, when apparently dry, another coat 
is placed on top the under coat will soften up under 
the heat of the sun and cause cracking; in the shade 
blisters will ensue. You will often find dark bronze 
green blinds, for instance, full of blisters, while the 
door and window frames done with white paint will 
be solid. The more lead or zinc there is in a dark 
paint, the better for its durability. 

Mr. W. G. Scott, a well-known chemist who has 
given much attention to the subject of paint, says of 
paint scaling and blistering - : 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 531 



The defect in painting known as blistering is due 
mostly to heat, but is governed indirectly by the 
presence of moisture and certain gases generated 
during the evaporation period, or to a rise in tem- 
perature. Certain colors draw the heat more than 
others. For instance, a reflecting surface, like white, 
yellow and red, will repel the heat rays. On the 
other hand, black, brown, and other dark colors absorb 
the heat rays. In similar manner, a lustrous suface 
will reflect the rays of light and heat to a much 
greater extent that a dull surface. 

Gummy and resinous substances, also an excess of 
drying oil, have a tendency to accelerate the process 
of blistering; therefore, a pigment like lampblack, 
which requires a large amount of oil to produce a 
brush consistency paint, will be more likely to blister 
than white lead or zinc. 

The scaling of paint not due to moisture is caused 
by applying a coat of coal oil or japan color over an 
old coat of paint which has become hard and greasy 
from smoke, etc. In this case the exterior coating is 
unable to get a hold ; therefore, as soon as expansion 
and contraction begin the top coat is loosened and 
eventually falls off. 

Sandpapering an enameled surface and subse- 
quently washing with soap and water is the usual 
remedy in the above case with most painters, but 
some prefer to first wash with turpentine and then 
apply a coat of paint containing a small amount of 
varnish. 

Silica, barytes, and other granular or crystalline 
pigments seldom scale, on account of moisture ; 
whereas, the amorphous or non-crystalline pigments 
are seriously affected, owing to the fact that they 
form an enamel of non-porous paint when mixed with 



532 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

oil. Ten per cent, of silica in a lead or zinc paint 
will generally make it porous enough to prevent 
scaling. Too much silica in a paint, however, is a 
bad thing, as it allows the moisture to enter, as well 
as to escape from the painted wood. Furthermore, 
it reduces the covering and hiding capacity of the 
mixture. 

A car painter says that when blisters arise on a 
car panel, under the varnish, as they will sometimes 
on a hot day, and when the varnish is fresh, simply 
puncturing the blister with a pin will allow the air 
to escape, after which the blister will go back and 
attach to the surface as good as ever. This is worthy 
of trial, in any event. 

Paint often blisters on knots that have been 
shellaced, because on such a hard surface as shellac 
the paint cannot get a footing in the wood, and hence 
remains on top, subject to the heat of the sun, which 
softens it and forms a blister. Or it may be that the 
heat softens the pitch of the knot. 

Blistering is sometimes caused by too heavy coats 
of paint, which do not dry perfectly or fast enough 
to get out of the way of the action of the sun. The 
priming coat, especially, ought not to be heavy, but 
thin. If ochre must be used for priming, then add 
some white lead to it, and use best ochre. 

If you have old work to repaint, be sure to make 
the surface clean and especially have it free from 
any grease. Paint will not dry over grease, and grease 
and dirt are prolific causes of paint troubles many a 
time. By way of experiment, apply some grease to 
a part of a painted door, say, and rub it out thin; 
then paint the door, and see how long the paint will 
be in drying over the grease spot. It will never dry. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 533 



^ early all dark colors will blister when exposed 
l.i the direct action of the sun, in warm weather. 
.Bronze green is perhaps the worst of all dark colors 
in this respect. 

A painter says he knew a man whose house blis- 
tered badly, and he told the man to wash the blistered 
places with strong cider vinegar, then let this dry, 
and then touch up the parts that had been sized with 
vinegar and paint. Then let the paint dry for a few 
days, after which a coating can be given the entire 
surface. After three years, this job, done this way, 
showed no signs of peeling or other deterioration, 
he said. 

Applying a quick or hard drying coat of paint over 
one that is more elastic is sure to cause trouble. The 
paint is almost sure to crack, in time. 

A painter asks advice about repainting a blistered 
door. Burn off all the old paint, laying the door on 
a pair of trestles, if possible, and if not convenient 
then do the work as the door hangs. Then sandpaper 
the surface until quite smooth, dust off, and apply a 
thin coat of white lead and raw oil primer, with a lit- 
tle japan. Rub this well into the wood, and brush it 
out well. Use a little turpentine, but very little driers. 
If the finish is to be dark, then color the priming 
a little to match. If to be oak, then do not use 
ochre in the priming, but tint with a little yellow 
chrome, or red lead. Allow this coat at least two 
days to dry, then sandpaper with fine paper, and dust 
off. Use thin coats that will dry hard. Heavy paint 
and much oil is at the bottom of many a case of blis- 
tering of paint. 

Spotting. — On two-coat work poor lumber and 
thin paint often cause spots on the painted surface. 



534 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



The oil sinks into the cross-grained or soft parts of 
the wood, and leaves very little paint there; in con- 
sequence of which the painted parts will fade out or 
become spotty. To remedy this g'o over all such 
places after the priming is dry, with a touch up coat, 
and when this is dry apply the regular second coat. 

Laps, due to improper painting or brushing out, 
will cause a certain kind of spotting, the laps show- 
ing heavier on account of being composed of more 
paint than the rest of the surface. Such spots show 
worst the older the paint becomes, due to quicker 
fading out of the thinner parts. 

Peeling Caused by Ochre Primer. — Being of 
different physical construction, ochre will not amal- 
gamate with the lead mixtures of the later coats, but 
forms a separate and distinct coa,ting of and by 
itself, while succeeding coatings with lead base united 
together and in turn and of themselves formed a 
separate and distinct coating. And the paint peeled 
later on for the simple reason that the oil carried to 
the old coating by succeeding coats of paint, could 
not and did not penetrate and revivify the old ochre 
coating, nor could the new oil penetrate and revive 
the old oil in the wood itself. When the oil died a 
natural death, and when the paint mass finally be- 
came too heavy for the adhesive that held the succeed- 
ing" paint coats to the surface, and following the con- 
tractions and expansions of surface during extremes 
of weather, the paint peeled down to the impregnable 
surface formed by the ochre, or peeled off down to 
the dry original surface itself. 

For the best results use only those materials that are 
physically and chemically alike and will permit the 
life-giving quality of the oil of succeeding coats to 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 535 



thoroughly penetrate and revive,, or replace the oil, 
not only in the preceding coats, but in the original 
surface itself. 

Livering or Thickening of Paint. — The liver- 
ing or thickening of paint is a condition often observed 
by the painter when a batch of paint is allowed to 
stand (Uncovered for any considerable time. This 
livering is generally the result of saponification or 
soap-making action. As all are aware, soap is made 
by combining an oil and an alkali. Some pigments 
are alkaline, and when they are ground in linseed 
oil they form metallic soaps. These soaps are really 
driers, and cause paints in which they are formed to 
dry readily to a hard film. In some cases they dry 
very rapidly, and produce such a hard film that 
checking and cracking result, a condition often ob- 
served when paint is burned up with added drier. 

In a recent study of oils, it was found that pig- 
ments such as barytes, silica, china clay, etc., had a 
great drying effect upon linseed oil. This seemed 
strange, for these pigments have always been consid- 
ered as inert or non-active pigments. The writer has 
always contended, however, that the peculiar drying 
value which these pigments exert is not due to 
chemical action which would involve the formation 
of metallic soaps, but is due instead to the physical 
action which these pigments have in spreading" out 
the surface of linseed oil and giving it a better op- 
portunity to dry by the action of the oxygen of the 
air. It is true, however, that some pigments actually 
do have a soap-making effect, which causes too rapid 
drying, and, in order to determine the relative chem- 
ical action of pigments upon oil, the writer has con- 
ducted a series of tests. The results of these tests 



536 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



conclusively prove that the inert pigments- in ques- 
tion are really chemically inert, and have absolutely 
no chemical action upon linseed oil. Their action is 
entirely a physical or contact action. 

Summing up the results it seems fair to conclude 
that the inert pigments so-called are really inert 
chemically, and that the lead and zinc pigments are 
chemically active. It would seem advisable, there- 
fore, to use in paints made of the chemically active 
pigments a moderate percentage of the inert pig- 
ments, so that any marked saponification would not 
take place. The saponification of oil by either lead 
or zinc pigments is apt to result in early disintegra- 
tion, as shown by exposure tests. — H. A. Gardner. 

As soon as the plasterers are done, and very often 
before, you are required to rush the paint, and maybe 
the temperature near zero. Often we are asked to 
put on two coats in one day. The wood may be wet 
and even frozen, and you paint on this. The result — 
scaling later on, when the paint dries and the wood 
dries and shrinks. 

"In painting a building of this kind, when your 
paint becomes dry the boards will shrink, and this 
makes your work look as though it was pushed to- 
gether, and when it gets damp and dry again it will 
make your paint get full of small cracks hardly visible 
to the naked eye. The paint gets harder, and the 
woodwork drying and swelling will soon let the rain 
in these small cracks and get behind the paint and 
cause it to peel or scale. Some buildings are so low 
the sills never dry. There will be a continual mois- 
ture between those boards and plaster, and paint is 
sure to blister when the sun shines on it. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 537 



"I was once called upon to examine a row of 
eight or ten houses, and though no scales or blister 
were visible, it looked as though black coffee had 
been poured over it from the cornice down. This 
was caused by the sun shining against the side of 
the house, and forced the dampness to ooze out every 
crack and crevice. The siding proved to be chestnut. 

"There is a reason for blistering and scaling, and it 
should be studied by every master painter, so as to 
explain to his customer the cause. Woodwork may 
appear dry when painted, and the moisture invisible; 
therefore when painted the oil instead of penetrating 
will lay on the surface and when dry you can look 
for that part to peel, and when the sun strikes it will 
cause a suction and form a blister, which if opened 
will be found full of water, and if let alone the mois- 
ture will again go back into the wood, and the blister 
when hard will break." — Anon. 

"The normal amount of moisture or water in sea- 
soned lumber is about twelve per cent. ; consequently, 
if green lumber containing sixteen to twenty per cent, 
of water be allowed to dry naturally, or season, the 
excess of vapor will be driven off in the form of vapor. 
On the other hand, if seasoned lumber containing 
twelve per cent, of moisture be kiln-dried to such an 
extent that the moisture is reduced to eight per cent., 
such material, on exposure to the weather, will in 
time take up enough water to make up the deficiency, 
or in other words, it will absorb four per cent, of 
moisture. 

"This is the cause of the highly kiln-dried doors 
and sashes swelling and becoming very tight-fitting. 
With green lumber the reverse effect is produced, and 



538 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



the doors or sashes shrink to such an extent that they 
soon become quite loose. 

"If green lumber be painted, it is reasonable to ex- 
pect that something must give way when the excess 
of moisture tries to escape by the evaporation route. 
If the paint be porous enough, the moisture will pass 
through the film of paint without doing any material 
damage ; whereas, with a non-porous paint or enamel 
the water cannot get through, and consequently forces 
the film to give way in its effort to escape." — W. G. 
Scott. 

"Priming with some cheap ochres which are 
ground in oil but do not contain one drop of linseed 
oil are used, not because painters do not know that 
they contain no linseed oil, but because they are cheap. 
When your priming is applied you may wait perhaps 
two or three weeks before it is dry enough to apply 
the second coat. You may use or mix your own sec- 
ond coating, which you may think is O. K., but when 
you put it on it will dry but not adhere to the prim- 
ing, which contains bad oils and causes it to blister. 
A good primer is the main foundation for a good job. 
A poor primer will cause your paint to blister or al- 
ligator and the bad oil paints will be tacky for years, 
and where the sun or rain strikes your work it will 
require repainting in a short time. Then when one 
is called upon to paint over this dope with good paint, 
it is up to the master painter to explain to his cus- 
tomer that the old paint contained bad oil. Tacky 
paint comes from non-drying oil. Painted over with 
good paint, the result will be blistering and 'alliga- 
tor.'" 

Mildewing. — A serious trouble, but of infre- 
quency. Probably induced by dampness or shade, 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 539 



and is produced in connection with certain pigments 
more than with certain others. Oil containing some 
foots may induce it. It may occur between two coats 
of paint, or on the bare wood, under the paint. Its 
effects are to spoil the appearance of a painted sur- 
fare, and in its worst form may cause destruction 
of paint coat. Climate may perhaps have more to do 
with the trouble than any other one cause. Painting 
in damp weather, when the weather is very warm, 
or painting in damp or foggy weather in ordinary 
summer weather is a prolific cause of mildew. Paint 
applied to a cold surface and succeeded by warmer 
weather may be the cause of it. If mildew occurs on 
one building and not on one adjoining and done at 
the same time, we may look for the cause in condi- 
tion of the wood. Surrounding trees and shrubbery, 
making much shade, favors mildewing. 

Mildew has its origin in minute spores or seeds of 
a plant. There are two kinds, one a parasite living 
on live tissue, the other living on dead matter. In 
the latter we recognize paint mildew. It occurs as 
well on linen, wall paper, leather, etc., in presence of 
dampness. Smut, vegetable rust, etc., are other forms 
of this mildew. It thrives best where there is heat 
and moisture. On paint, developing from an invis- 
ible spore, in a few hours it becomes a quite visible 
black spot or speck, this growing rapidly into a dark 
brown or reddish splotch. These black or dark 
brown streaks or spots are by far the most serious 
growths, destroying the life and the adhesive quality 
of the paint, and causing it to lose color and become 
powdery. If allowed to remain it will destroy the 
wood, which will have the appearance of having' been 
burned, and the black or brown spots under the micro- 
scope will have the appearance of soot. Surfaces 



540 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



painted with pure white lead or oxide of zinc are less 
liable to mildew than those painted with ochres or any- 
similar earth pigments. Being ground very fine, 
lead and zinc form a harder surface and one more 
impervious to moisture, hence more immune from 
mildew. 

There are many so-called remedies for paint mil- 
dew, but none can be accepted as absolute cures or 
preventives. Spirits of turpentine will destroy bad 
cases of mildew, and the parts should be well sand- 
papered before the turpentine is applied. Remove any 
loose paint. After the turpentine, sandpaper again, 
and apply a coat of paint, well flatted, with the rest 
of the coats mixed with oil in the usual way. In close 
rooms, cellars, etc., apply powdered sulphur, not by 
flame, but by dusting it on. Or lay it around, fumes 
escaping from it. This method has long been in use 
in greenhouses, where mildew often appears as a sort 
of bloom or downy mildlew. Ventilation of closed 
rooms, etc., is advised, and fresh lime wash with 
some bluestone in it is good. Copper sulphate or blue- 
stone solution is also good for drop cloths and ropes, 
to preserve them and preventing or killing mildew. 

For brick or concrete walls subject to mildew it is 
advised to apply this mixture : Dissolve a pound of 
paraffin wax in one gallon of benzine and apply to 
the wall with a paint brush, rubbing the liquid well 
into the surface. A master painter washed down a 
mildewed house with a soap powder and hot water 
solution, rinsing down with clear water, letting it 
dry, then painted with a paint made of 85 per cent, 
white lead and 15 per cent, zinc white. The house 
was wearing well some time after this treatment. In 
fact, turpentine and the washing with soap powder or 
alkali of some kind are the only sure remedies. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 541 



Mildewing at the seaside is to be prevented by 
using a compound of zinc white, 80 per cent., and 
white lead, 20 per cent., with plenty of turpentine, 
first coat. Second coat, lead 15 per cent, zinc 25 
per cent., all oil. This paint is regarded as being the 
only paint that will stand successfully on the seashore. 
Mixture of lead, zinc and whiting did not stand, it 
soon powdered. From 30 to 40 per cent gave a paint 
that did not blister nor scale, the priming coat being 
boiled oil. — Vide report. 

Mildew hardly ever appears on a hard-drying paint, 
and most frequently on a paint composed of coarse, 
loose pigment material. Finely ground pigments are 
best where danger from mildew exists. White lead 
paint appears to mildew worse than zinc white pamt; 
an old painter says he never heard of a zinc paint 
mildewing. Greens are very liable to mildew. 

Handy Things to Have 

Handy Brush Wiper. — Take a piece of No. 9 
sofe wire, about 15 inches long, and bend up each 
end four inches, and place this in the paint pot, about 
i-| inches from the top; then bend the ends out over 
the edge of top, and you will have a brush wiper 
that may be taken off and thrown into the lye barrel 
when dirty, or it may be wiped oft* with a rag before 
paint dries on it. This saves the pot from getting so 
dirty, as it will when the brush is wiped on its edges. 
A painter tells how he makes a wiper. He takes a 
mixed paint can and opens it by cutting around the 
top for about three-quarters of its circumference, 
leaving one-quarter uncut, and this part is turned up, 
forming a wiper. This can only be clone with mixed 
paint cans. 



542 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

Simple Brush Keeper. — Take a common wooden 
bucket and place hooks on the inside, to which hang 
the brushes so that they will be in water up to the 
bridling, without the ends of the bristles resting on 
bottom. It would be best to paint the inside of the 
bucket, to prevent water-soaking. Never leave a new 
brush in water, at least not until it has been soaked 
well in paint. 

Preserving Small Cans of Mixed Colors. — It is 
sometimes necessary to keep some small cans of colors 
over, and to prevent drying over or skinning, have a 
round, shallow pan, and a deep tin slightly smaller 
than the pan in circumference, and deep enough to 
receive the paint cups. Partly fill the shallow pan 
with water, and in this place the can of color, in- 
verting the other pan over it, making an air-tight and 
dust-proof keeper. Putty also may be kept moist in 
this way, placing it in a cup. 

Keeping Shellac for Knots. — Shellac being 
mixed with alcohol, it evaporates quickly if left ex- 
posed to the air, hence it has been the practice to use 
a wide-mouthed bottle for keeping it in, with a hole 
in the cork to take the end of the brush handle, thus 
keeping out the air more or less perfectly, and keep- 
ing the brush moist. Another plan is to have a leather 
or rubber washer that will fit inside the wide neck, 
while a suitable lid may be used for covering the top, 
so that the brush, handle and all, are closed inside 
the bottle. 

A Handy Oil Filter. — A very good home-made 
oil filter requires only two cans and a supply of cot- 
ton wicking. The cans are placed on different levels, 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 543 



and the upper one rilled with the oil to be filtered. 
The cotton wicking is saturated with clean oil, and is 
suspended over the edge of the uppen can, forming 
a capillary syphon. The end of the wicking should 
be allowed to touch, or lie, on the bottom of the upper 
can. The capacity is only limited by the size of the 
cans and the number of wicks used. 

Extension Brush Holder. — One of the modern 
helps for the painter is the brush holder, taking the 
place of what we used to call a man-help. The latter 
we made with a long, slender pole, to the end of 
which a brush was tied, and with this the lofty and 
not-easy-to-get-at places were painted. Now we have 
metal adjustable holders that can be adjusted to a 
pole and brush in a moment, and the brush placed at 
any desired angle, there being at least two of these 
devices on the market, and selling at about 75 cents. 
No painter can afford to be without one or more of 
these little tools. They weigh about 10 ounces, and 
can easily be carried in a pocket. In one of them, 
at least, any kind of a brush may be fastened. 




Nelson's Patent Brush Holder 



To Prevent Paint Running Down Brush 
Handle. — When doing overhead work the paint is 
apt to run down the handle of the brush, and some 
one suggests cutting a hollow rubber ball in two and 



544 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



running the brush handle through one of the halves, 
with the open part towards the ends of the bristles, 
and on butt of brush; this cup will catch the paint. 

Roof Jack. — When painting or staining - a roof 
how unhandy it is to set the pot so that it will not 
slide away. Various devices are used, mostly a jack 
to fit the slope of the roof, with nails or sharp irons 
at the base to catch in the shingles and prevent it 
slipping. 

Caps or Lids for Paint Pot. — How nice it would 
be if we had a lid for the paint pot, something that 
could be slipped on to the bottom of the pot when we 
were using the pot, and when done could clip it on 
to the top, keeping air and dust from the mixed paint. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 545 



Notes on Iron Painting 

—Old painted ironware should have all paint, rust 
and scale removed by burning off, and then have a 
coating of turpentine or benzine. Then paint as for 
new ironwork. 

— For wrought iron, such as grilles, railings, etc., 
nothing is so effective as a dull or dead black finish. 

— In former years oxide of iron was considered the 
ideal paint for iron, but red lead now has the call. 

— Elasticity is an important feature of the durability 
of a paint for metal, and this depends more upon the 
vehicle than the pigment. A proper combination of 
the two is best. 

— Dry, metallic brown paint will take as much as 
15 gallons of oil to bring it to a painting consistency, 
where red lead will require only from three to four 
gallons. 

— Keep a coat of paint on iron free from any 
opening through which the iron may be reached by ex- 
ternal influences, and have its co-efficient expansion 
properly adusted, and you attain the maximum of 
durability. 

— Many engineers agree that the best coating for 
ironwork is a mixture of two parts of red lead and one 
part of white lead. This for prime and second coats. 
White lead is too porous, while red lead is not porous, 
but forms a hard, non-porous yet elastic coating that is 
impervious to moisture. White lead alone is too soft. 

— Coal tar and asphalt are much used by makers 
of certain kinds of iron work, to protect the iron 
from rust. The articles are dipped while hot into 
the mixture. 



546 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



— Lampblack and graphite are often used with red 
lead and oil, not necessarily to improve the lasting- 
qualities of the pigment, but to make the paint work 
smoothly and evenly. 

— To paint ironwork in imitation of stone, make 
the last coat quite heavy, and apply it freely; when 
it has begun to set dust on some of the stone, crushed, 
that is to be imitated, though the common way is to 
make the paint a suitable color, say like the stone, and 
apply clean sand. 

— For painting on iron add a gallon of oil to the 25 
lbs. of dry red lead, and stir the oil in gradually. 
Strain. No driers are needed, unless a very quick job 
is desired, in which case add a gill of the best tur- 
pentine japan. This will make about a gallon and one- 
half of paint, and will cover about a thousand square 
feet of average surface. 

— To paint new iron see that it is dry and clean. 
Apply a coat of very thin red lead paint, so that it 
will enter the pores of the iron. Follow with two or 
three coats in which either red or white lead figure. 

— Never paint iron while it is damp, or when the 
weather is damp ; early morning and evening are bad. 
Paint on a dry, warm, windy day, if possible. 

— An expert says that raw linseed alone is the best 
priming for iron or steel, rusted or not. Where there 
is rust the oil absorbs the oxygen contained in the 
rust and converts the whole mass into paint, and this 
coating protects the metal from chemical action and 
any combination of paint that may be put on it. He 
adds that this has been his experience in making tests 
for several years. 

— Another expert advises oil for the priming coat. 
First make the surface clean, then go over the sur- 
face with a steel brush dipped in hot oil, and when 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 547 



this coating of oil has become tacky, apply a coat 
of paint. "Objects thus painted will preserve the coat 
or color from heat or cold, excessive moisture or 
dryness, for an indefinite period." 

— A rust-preventing paint may be made thus : 
Grind together 2\ gals, of raw oil, 60 lbs. red lead, 
30 lbs. zinc oxide, and 10 lbs. graphite. This paste 
must be thinned for use. The color is a reddish choco- 
late, and it dries rapidly, consequently it should not be 
prepared too long in advance of need. One-half pound 
of beeswax, melted, to the gallon cf oil, will retard 
the hardening; so will China clay. 

— A paint used by the elevated roads in New York 
city is as follows : Boiled linseed oil, 9 parts ; turps, 
1 part ; red oxide of iron, very finely ground, y\ parts. 

— Graphite ground in boiled oil makes a very dur- 
able paint for iron. It works freely under the brush, 
has great covering power, is neutral and is not affected 
by gases or water. 

Painting on Metals 

Painting on Copper. — Make up and apply a solu- 
tion of copper sulphate and a little nitric acid, in water, 
which will roughen the surface and enable the paint to 
get a footing. Or try a mixture of one part acetone, 
and two parts benzol, which is, in fact, a paint and 
varnish remover ; let it dry, and apply the paint, which, 
a painter tells us, will hold. 

Painting on Sheet Lead. — It is difficult to paint 
over lead so that it will hold. One way is to roughen 
the surface with sandpaper, but it is rather the nature 
or character of lead that makes it repel paint. Cer- 
tain pigments do best, for instance, iron oxide takes 
better than ochre or any earth pigment. 



548 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



Painting Rain Spouts. — Water spouts and eaves 
troughs would be the better for having- the insides, as 
well as outsides painted. Pipes may be painted inside 
before they are put up, by pouring thin paint into 
them and turning the pipe around until the interior 
is coated. Some one had suggested painting a water 
pipe, in position, by running a sponge of paint up 
and down by a string from above and below. 

Painting Refrigerator Pipes. — Pipes in refrig- 
erating plants should be painted or enameled before 
any fluid goes through, using a good common grade 
of enamel paint. The partitions, made of cork plas- 
ter, are given five coats of enamel paint. Some use 
aluminum bronze paint, others say finely ground cork, 
made into paint, is best. 

White Paint for Stoves. — Scott gives the follow- 
ing formula for a "fireproof white," made to with- 
stand heat : 

(a) 16 fl. oz. waterglass solium!!, 36 B. 

6 fl. oz. water. 

2 fl. oz. light syrup of white sugar. 

(b) 8 oz. China clay. 

2 oz. pulverized soapstone. 
2 oz. zinc oxide. 

Mix (a) and (b) together. This paint burns 
first to a light gray, but finally becomes white; by 
leaving out the syrup the paint becomes white at once. 
The purpose of the syrup is to prevent the waterglass 
setting too soon. Light syrup will do in place of the 
sugar syrup. 

Aluminum Paint for Stoves. — A correspondent 
tells us he has had success by mixing aluminum pow- 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 549 



cler with common copal varnish, thinning with turpen- 
tine. Would not a baking varnish do better? The 
stove must be made clean first. This writer informs 
us that he has had stoves to look well after six years, 
and school radiators were bright at the end of five 
years, done with this bronze. Of course the top of a 
cook stove gets much wear, and will not wear as 
well as other parts, but renewing with paint is easier 
than forever blacking the stove. 

Asphaltum Varnish. — This is the varnish to use 
when you have a heater pipe, stove pipe, etc., to coat, 
but the best grade should be used, thinned with tur- 
pentine only. 

A Cheap Black Paint for Iron. — Mix 56 lbs. 
white lead, 112 lbs. barytes, 25 lbs. gas black, 18 lbs. 
boiled linseed oil and 12 lbs. raw linseed oil, with 
cheap driers to suit. 

Soapstone Paint. — Steatite or soapstone is highly 
spoken of as a paint for iron or wood, it not being 
affected by the weather, as most pigments are. It is 
not affected by heat, cold, frost, air, gas, paint or 
acids, and with varnish it makes a beautiful enamel 
paint, being quite durable, of course. The paint flows 
well, and sticks to metal or wood tenaciously. 

Colors for Ornamental Iron Work. — The color 
most used is, for iron railings, a dark green or brown 
shade with the tips and central floral ornaments in 
gold or bronze color, if a pleasing effect is desired. 
Two or three coats should be given. For wrought 
iron or grill work, nothing looks better than a per- 
fectly dull black. 



550 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



Bronze Green for Railings. — Sift and grind to- 
gether in the dry state and then mix with 5 oz. japan 
the following : 2 lbs. chrome green, 1 oz. lampblack, 
and 1 oz. medium chrome yellow. Grind this in a 
mill, then thin with enough raw oil to form a paint 
of brushing consistency. 

Non-poisonous Paint for Iron. — This is a Ger- 
man patent : Take powdered coke, zinc blende, and 
Pompeii red, and grind in boiled oil. This paint is 
said to be non-poisonous, and proof against alkalis, 
acids and the weather. Zinc blende is a zinc ore, which 
miners call "black jack." 

Tarred Water Pipes. — If the vent or soil pipe, or 
other pipe, be coated with gas tar, as they often are, 
and it is desired to paint them, size with shellac var- 
nish, which will prevent the tar from discoloring the 
paint. Gas tar will crack bronzing and eat through 
oil paint. 

Colors for Machinery. — Some good color com- 
binations for machinery are : Deep blue and golden 
brown ; black and warm brown ; chocolate and light 
blue; maroon and warm green; deep red and gray. 
Lead or slate are the most used, however. 

Wire Screen Paint. — A black paint may be made 
by thinning drop black, ground in oil, with turpentine, 
with a little liquid drier and some asphaltum varnish, 
say one-third as much asphaltum as black paint. 
Strain carefully. 

Black Paint for Hot Water Pipes. — Mix 
lampblack with boiled oil and add one-half pint of 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 551 



driers to each two gallons of the paint. This paint is 
suitable for boilers, is not liable to crack, and no odor 
is present after an hour or two. 

Painting Water Pipes. — On account of moisture, 
water pipes should not be painted while cold water is 
in them; let the water out, wipe dry, coat with var- 
nish, followed by paint. The varnish coat should be 
thinned well with turpentine. Or shellac may be 
used instead, though we think copal varnish better, 
holding more tenaciously and taking paint better. 

Cleaning Aluminum Metal. — Take equal parts 
of alcohol and sweet oil, well mixed, and clean the 
metal with it. Some use a diluted lye, some benzol. 
To get a good polish, after cleaning off, make a paste 
of fine emery powder and tallow, and follow with a 
rubbing with rouge and turpentine paste. 

Good Paint for Fire-work. — Boil pure raw lin- 
seed oil with as much litharge as will make it of a 
brushing consistency; to each 10 parts of litharge add 
i part of lampblack ; boil the mass for three hours over 
a gentle fire. The first coat should be thinner than the 
following coats. 

Good Paint for Iron-work. — A railroad chemist, 
who made a study of paints, gave this formula as a 
good one for painting ironwork. Best French yellow 
ochre, 39 lbs., lampblack, 1 lb., pure raw linseed oil, 
54 lbs., japan drier, 6 lbs. 

Painting a Bird Cage. — Never use white lead for 
this purpose. Mix zinc white to a stiff paste with 
varnish, and thin with turpentine. Cage makers bake 



552 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



the enamel paint on, and this anybody may do if he 
has an oven large enough, and bringing the heat up 
to about 150 , and keeping it there. For the process 
of baking enamel paint, see another part of this work. 

Paint for Metal Roof. — This is an imitation 
slate roofing paint given by Scott: 

Lead zinc 20 lbs. 

Whiting . . ., 10 lbs. 

Portland cement . . . 5 lbs. 

Graphite 15 lbs. 

Lampblack 1 lb. 

Grind in — 

Boiled oil 3 gals, 

This gives a dark gray slate color, and may be made 
a beautiful deep olive-green by substituting 2 to 5 lbs. 
chrome yellow in place of the lampblack. Thin out 
with boiled oil. 

If used for shingles, Scott advises thinning out 
with coal oil, 1 part, and boiled oil, 2 parts. Strange 
as it may seem, this kerosene paint is wonderfully dur- 
able on wood, but is a failure on metal, the kerosene 
being unable to penetrate the metal (vide Scott.) 

Paint for Smokestack. — Mix pulverized graphite 
with thinned coal tar, and mix to a brushing consist- 
ency. 

Moisture on Iron Plates. — To remedy this evil 
we may copy the practice of the ship painter, who 
prevents condensation of moisture by the following 
means : The iron plates are first got dry, then several 
coats of red lead paint are applied, and on the last 
coat, while fresh, fine cork powder is dashed against 
it until no more will adhere. This cork coating is then 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 553 



painted any desired shade, the paint being flatted with 
turpentine. 

Painting Steel Water Tank. — The priming 
should be red lead paint, and the finish may also be 
this, and there is no danger even where the water is 
to be used for drinking. At least the danger from 
lead poisoning is extremely small, the quantity used 
being so small. Where water from red lead coated 
water tanks is in use, no case of lead poisoning has 
ever been reported. Outside of the water tank a car- 
bon paint, or graphite paint may be used. 

Painting Hot Boiler Front. — Asphaltum is com- 
monly used here, but if a paint of lighter color is de- 
sired, one must be used that will stand the heat. A 
steel-colored paint, such as that indicated for machin- 
ery, would do here, and a mixture of zinc white in oil 
and lampblack in oil for coloring would make a good 
paint; thin with boiled oil. Apply this paint while the 
boiler front is warm. 

Patktinc on Zinc. — As zinc and galvanized iron 
are practically the same, as far as painting is con- 
cerned, the treatment of one will apply to the other. 
The usual method is to cut the surface with this 
mixture : To a gallon of water add two ounces each 
of copper chloride, copper nitrate, and sal ammoniac; 
puverize these chemicals, and stir them into the water. 
Then add two ounces of muriatic (hydrochloric) 
acid ; stir until dissolution of ingredients is complete. 
Apply this wash with a whitewash brush and let it 
dry. The color at first will be black, but changes to 
a gray. It is now ready to be painted in the usual 
way. Mix the chemicals in an earthen vessel, not in a 
metal one. 



554 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



The first coat of paint on zinc or galvanized work 
should be made from white lead, red lead, and turpen- 
tine, with a little varnish as a binder. 

New rolled zinc sheeting may be washed with a 
weak solution of hydrochloric or nitric acid, say a 
tablespoonful to the gallon of water. Some scratch 
the surface with sandpaper, using a No. 2 paper, but 
the chemical or acid treatment saves time and labor, 
and we think, makes a better job. 

Some make a boiled oil specially for zinc painting, 
the method consisting in mixing 1 part binoxide of 
manganese coarsely powdered, but not dusty, with 10 
parts of linseed oil. Keep heated and stir frequently 
for thirty hours. The oil will then begin to turn a 
reddish brown, and will do for almost any kind of 
paint. 

Tarnished zinc may be cleaned with a mixture of 1 
part of sulphuric acid to 12 parts of water, rubbing 
with a rag, then rinsing with cold water. 

Protecting Zinc Roofing from Rust. — Where it 
is not desired to paint the roofing, the plates may be 
immersed in water in which 5 per cent, of sulphuric 
acid has been placed, then wash with clear water, al- 
low to dry, then coat with asphalt varnish, made by 
dissolving 1 to 2 parts of asphalt in 10 parts benzine; 
pour this solution evenly over the plates, then place the 
plates in an upright position to dry. 

Bronzing Ironwork. — To a pint of alcohol add 
4 ounces gum shellac and £ oz. benzoin; set in warm 
place and agitate once in a while. After gums have 
dissolved allow the mass to settle two days in a cool 
place. Then pour off the clear portion into another 
bottle, and keep well corked. To what was left in 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 555 



the first bottle add enough alcohol to make it work 
easy, strain through a fine cloth, and use as a first- 
coater. Now take -| lb. finely ground bronze (green), 
thin with varnish, and add coloring matter. If pos- 
sible warm the iron a little, and apply the bronze with 
a soft brush ; repeat if necessary. A coat of varnish 
will protect the bronze. The color of the bronze may 
be varied by the use of lampblack, ochre, etc. Parts 
in relief may be done with bronze of desired shade. 
Coat until you have a uniform and solid surface, and 
protect it with varnish. 

To Paint Magnets. — Take one part of white shel- 
lac and two parts of Venice turpentine, color with 
three parts of English vermillion. Melt the shellac 
and Venice turpentine on the stove until fluid, then 
set aside to cool to 140 . Then thin with 95 per cent, 
alcohol, adding also 10 parts of the alcohol. Rub the 
vermillion with alcohol to a paste, then add the shel- 
lac and turpentine mixture. Place the mass on a 
water bath for a few minutes, then stir until smooth. 
Remove from bath and stir until cold. Keep in a 
well-stoppered bottle and heat when wanted for use. 
Warm the magnet before painting it. 

Painting Elevator Sides. — Four years ago I 
painted an elevator, the sides of which were of iron. 
The owner had been unable to secure anyone to paint 
it so that the paint would last over one year. One 
reason whv this was the case was, the elevator was in 
a low situation, or damp. When I undertook the job 
it was all red with iron rust, or iron oxide. I scraped 
this off clean and applied a coat of lampblack in oil, 
the oil being merely tinted with the black. After six 
days I gave the second coat, using a little more lamp- 



556 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

black than in the first coat. It is certainly good for 
another year, or five years in all. If there is any- 
thing better than this treatment I should like to learn 
of it. — F. G. Pratt, Chelmsford, Mass. 

Practical Paint Notes 

A building that is to be painted should have a 
special treatment, both as to color and to paint. 

Never second or third coat the inside of a house 
while the plaster is drying out. 

In the meantime open all windows and doors and let 
in all the air possible. 

Too much driers will retard drying and make a soft, 
spongy paint surface. 

Break up colors in stiff lead, then add the thinners, 
which stir in, then add the driers. Stir all thoroughly 
together. 

Never prime outside woodwork in damp, foggy or 
threatening weather. In fact, it is not safe to apply 
any coat on outside under such conditions. 

When stippling paint learn to use the brush firmly 
but gently ; don't pound the surface with it. 

When painting a room in colors to agree with the 
wall paper never match one or two of the colors, but 
rather mix the paint to represent the general color 
effects of the hangings. 

In dry, warm weather we might with advantage 
omit all driers in outside paint. 

When priming fill the wood full of paint, and es- 
pecially the sappy parts, where paint naturally sinks in ; 
better touch up such places after the priming is dry, 
either with paint or shellac. This will make a uniform- 
ly solid surface. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 557 

A little turpentine is good in priming coats on any 
wood, but do not use too much. 

Better no turps in the last coat, exterior, as the oil 
coat will last better than one with some turpentine 
in it. 

To harden asphaltum varnish add a gill of shellac 
to the gallon of asphaltum. 

Cover cans of japan color with turpentine, and cans 
of oil color with water. 

Don't add driers to paint until you are ready to use 
it, particularly in warm weather. 

When you paint a -wall in color have the priming 
coat a little lighter in color than the second coat, and 
if you have the priming darker than the next coats 
when the finish is to be light you will have spotty paint. 

As soon as paint shows the signs of blistering remove 
it at once, for the longer it remains the worse it will 
become. 

The condition of a surface to which paint is applied 
largely determines the durability of the paint. 

Wood alcohol is miscible with water in all propor- 
tions, but not with fixed oil. 

Plain painted surface having a peach-like bloom will 
result from the use of a slightly chalky flat over a 
decidedly richer oil color. 

A sticky paint surface may sometimes be made hard 
by being well rubbed with a liquid composed of equal 
parts of japan and turpentine, using a stiff brush. 

When done with paint pots wipe them down inside 
with the brush, and wipe off the outside with a rag. 

Orange red will cover over black better than any 
other color, using one coat only. 

If it appears that the paint mixed with boiled oil is 
drying too fast, as in warm weather, better add a little 
raw oil to it, to slow it up. 



558 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

Large surfaces may be easily and evenly finished 
with paint by stippling. 

Use pure raw oil in exterior painting, and under 
no circumstances add any coal oil to it, as it will surely 
cause spotting or fading, and also possibly peeling, for 
paint over it will not stay. 

In warm weather it is usually best not to add the 
driers until you are ready to apply the paint, but if 
mixed with the paste lead it will not oxidize as it does 
when thinned with oil. 

Strain all paint, and if colors are added to it, strain 
afterwards. Stir the paint well after straining, and 
keep the paint in the pot stirred while using, as the 
thinner will come to the top and be used up first if not 
kept stirred. 

If the paint becomes dirty while in use, with sticks, 
etc., in it, better strain again. A paint strainer well 
used pays 20 per cent. 

As a rule, better painting may be done with a round 
brush than with a flat one. Paint is not as easily 
rubbed out out with a flat brush, but you can get .over 
more surface with it. An oval brush is of course as 
good as a round one in this respect. 

Old lead is better than new, but owing to its being 
much harder it requires a longer time in mixing. 

Chalking of lead may be due to various causes, too 
little oil, applying second coat before the first is dry, 
etc. 

Varnish Colors 

Varnish colors differ from the pure enamels in that 
the pigment part is generally a positive color in place 
of a tint, and that the paste pigment instead of being 
ground in varnish is ground in oil, gum japan, or a 
mixture of the two, and then mixed with the vehicle. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 559 



If the pigment be ground in oil, then a short-oil var- 
nish must be used for mixing ; conversely, a japan color 
would require a long-oil varnish. 

By grinding the pigments in a mixture of prepared 
oil and a special gum japan, a paste may be made that 
will mix with any varnish. 

Zinc oxide and a few other pigments may be ground 
in varnish without injury, but most of the pigments, 
especially those containing grit, cannot be ground fine 
enough in varnish without material damage to the 
gum, in which case the varnish soon thickens up, or 
"livers." 

Varnish colors may be divided into three distinct 
classes, viz. : those containing an opaque pigment, like 
the vermilion toners ; and the colored containing a 
transparent pigment, like the vermilion toners; and 
the colored varnishes, where the color is imparted in 
the varnish by means of an oil soluble dye. The two 
first classes are more or less permanent to light, while 
the latter is quite fugitive, and soon fades when ex- 
posed to strong sunlight. The value of a varnish color 
depends upon the permanency and fineness of the pig- 
ment, and the kind of varnish used for mixing". 

The amount of paste color required to produce a per- 
fect working varnish color will vary with the pigment ; 
whereas a pound of carbon black paste to a gallon of 
varnish is sufficient to form an opaque coat over white, 
from two to four pounds of chrome yellow, vermilion, 
etc., will be required. 

The preparation of a satisfactory varnish color is a 
somewhat difficult matter and requires considerable ex- 
perience. Too much varnish results in a transparent 
product with a poor covering capacity; too much pig- 
ment induces flatness and makes the color hard work- 
ing-. 



560 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



Varnish colors are usually made air-drying, but 
when made for baking it is customary to call them en- 
amels. The light colors are generally baked from two 
to six hours at a temperature of 120 degrees to 140 
degrees, F. ; the darker colors at a temperature of 140 
degrees to 200 degrees, F. 

Black baking japans are not classed as color var- 
nishes ; they usually contain asphaltum, pitch, Prussian 
blue, or some similar substance and are designed to 
stand a high heat. 

The celebrated French "Jet Enamel" is composed 
of asphaltum, black oxide of manganese, linseed oil and 
kerosene. This enamel will stand a baking heat of 500 
deg'rees, F., and the resultant coat is as hard as iron. 

— Scott. 

Ready-Mixed Paints. — When the introduction of 
such prepared paints was first attempted, technical 
knowledge in the paint industry was not in nearly so 
advanced a state as it is now, and they were far from 
being tlie scientific products that they are to-day. The 
great techrcal problem connected with their manufac- 
ture is that of overcoming the tendency for the pig- 
ments to separate out from the vehicle on standing, 
which results in the paint not remaining in a workable 
condition for any length of time. When the use of 
such paints was first proposed, it was discovered that if 
a little silicate of soda is added to the vehicle, this con- 
verts the oil into a material of the consistency of clot- 
ted cream, in which the pigments will remain sus- 
pended indefinitely. The early ready-mixed paints 
were prepared on this basis, regardless of the fact that 
this setting up of the oil was due to its partial saponifi- 
cation by the soda present in the water glass. The 
use of such paints, of course, proved disastrous, 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 561 



and soon brought the name ready-mixed paint into dis- 
repute. Moreover, manufacturers of doubtful reputa- 
tion were not slow to discover that such prepared 
paints, in the then state of technical knowledge among 
painters, provided them with an unequalled oppor- 
tunity for gross adulteration, with the result that the 
name ready-mixed paint came to be regarded as syn- 
onymous with "worthless rubbish." But it would be 
unfair to compare such early experiments with the 
ready-mixed paints of to-day, prepared on scientific 
lines. 

The tendency to separation of the pigment is over- 
come in different ways in modern paints, the most com- 
mon being to add water to the extent of i to 2 per cent, 
of the volume of the prepared paint. The proportion 
used varies with the nature of the pigment employed, 
some of which show more tendency to separate than 
others. This water is added to the finished product 
during the final mixing, whilst the paint is subjected 
to violent mechanical agitation. In this way an emul- 
sion is formed which stiffens the paint and enables it to 
hold the pigment in permanent suspension. The pres- 
ence of this amount of water in the paint does not im- 
pair its efficiency as it evaporates entirely as soon as 
the naint is spread on the surface to be decorated. The 
emulsification of the vehicle requires in some cases to 
be assisted by dissolving various metallic salts in the 
tvater employed for the purpose. The salts so used 
include sulphate of zinc, manganese sulphate, borax, 
etc. Such substances as lead acetate and soda carbon- 
ate have been employed by some makers, but these 
should be avoided, as their presence is deleterious to 
the paint. 

In other cases a minute proportion of organic mat- 
ter, such as tannic acid, is incorporated with the pig- 



562 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

ment prior to the first mixing with oil; this has the 
effect of "deflocculating" it or enabling it to remain in 
suspension in a liquid by destroying the tendency of 
the particles to coagulate together to form granules, 
which is the cause of the separation. 

To Test Ready-Mixed Paint. — Open and thor- 
oughly stir the paint, and paint two pieces of glass, say 
eight inches by six inches, half way over with the 
paint, giving a full ordinary coat and standing each in 
a vertical position, one outside and one inside. On 
observing it against the light I should know whether 
its covering power was good or bad. On looking at 
its surface half an hour after painting I should be able 
to judge of its fineness or freedom from grit. On 
noticing whether it ran down the glass, showed signs 
of separation from the oil or shifting its position. I 
should be able to judge of the quality of the oil used 
and of its suitability as a paint oil. 

I should next look at it with a strong magnifying 
glass and see whether the magnified paint looked homo- 
geneous or well and intimately mixed. If it did not, I 
should know that it would not be a stable or lasting 
paint, as the molecules would undergo change and 
movement leading to cracking or crinkling. 

I should next note the time it took to dry, and the 
character of the skin formed, noting whether it dried 
from the bottom or skinned over at the top only, and 
testing the skin to see how leathery and tough it was. 

From these various indications I could assess its 
general value and suitability for any given purpose, as 
I should compare its behavior with what I should ex- 
pect in a well-made sample of white lead paint under 
similar conditions. There would be no need for a 
practical painter to put it to any long test of time or to 
analyze it. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 563 

In addition to the foregoing excellent hints we 
would say that any ready-mixed paint may be quite 
accurately gauged by its price and maker, as also by its 
general physical features, such as odor, etc. A first- 
class article will smell like any good hand-mixed oil or 
flat paint, and a poor-grade paint will smell of benzine 
and rosin oil mayhap. A low-price paint will hardly 
prove to be a good grade paint. 

Clear Varnish For Enamel Finish. — Add two 
quarts of the strongest grain alcohol to four gallons 
of damar varnish, and shake well. This will give a 
somewhat darker looking varnish than the original 
damar, but it will not affect the white finish at all. 
The alcohol removes the opalescence of the damar var- 
nish, producing a clear, transparent liquid, and making 
the varnish to dry somewhat harder. Another clear 
varnish may be made by dissolving one pound of gum 
sandarach and four ounces of clear Venice turpentine 
in four ounces of 95 per cent, alcohol in a water bath, 
with gentle heat. When the gum is dissolved and 
while still warm, filter through fine muslin. 

Baking White Enamel on Galvanized Iron. — 
White enamel is baked at a heat of not over 180 de- 
grees, F. Use zinc white, not white lead, and bake on 
several coats, using baking varnish. Bake several 
hours each coat. 

Bath Tub Enamel Paint. — Break up eight pounds 
best grade zinc white that has been ground in damar or 
other light varnish, and mix in gradually half pint of 
turpentine, after which add gradually while stirring 
two quarts of the best white enamel varnish, not damar. 
This will make a gallon of the best bath tub enamel 
paint. 




564 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



PRACTICAL NOTES FOR THE PAINTER 

| TIR the paint with a paddle, never with the 
paint brush. 

The keg" of white lead in oil should be 
kept covered with water ; zinc white should 
be covered with oil, as water will harden 
zinc. 

Study the various paint compounds for various pur- 
poses, and thus ascertain which is best suited for a 
particular purpose. 

When painting a door, mantel, etc., lay down a 
sheet of stiff paper or canvas, and so save the floor or 
its covering from paint spots. 

Train your hand so that it will handle a paint brush 
without spattering paint over things. A new brush 
will, of course, prove difficult to use without some 
spattering, but be careful. 

Soft or sappy places should be shellaced before 
priming, or after priming will do, so that the entire 
surface will be uniform and no paint spots will show. 
Often spotting is caused by failure to touch up sap or 
soft parts. 

For one thing the durability of any paint will de- 
pend upon the number of coats applied, two giving bet- 
ter wear than one, and three being better than two. 

Unless used up the left-over paint of the shop will 
accumulate and be a loss. It is well to add it to the 
next batch you mix, if within reasonable time, though 
fatty paint is not fit for ordinary painting. 

If left-over paint is placed in a vessel that may be 
sealed from the air it will keep good for several days, 
that with turpentine in it remaining good for weeks, 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 565 



but oil paint with driers in it will go fatty in a few 
days. 

Never leave mixed paint exposed to the air if you 
can avoid it ; if only for a few hours let it be securely 
covered, to keep it from air and possible dust or dirt. 

Too much oil, especially boiled oil, will cause soft 
paint, but too much driers is the worst offender in the 
case. 

Too much turpentine in a paint will make a hard, in- 
elastic paint, and while such a paint is necessary within 
doors, too much turpentine should not be added to ex- 
terior paint. It hardens paint and makes it brittle, 
causing cracking and peeling in time. 

Dust and flies are the trouble with exterior painting" 
in summer. Watch the signs of the weather, paint a 
nice front when the winds are still, and when flies and 
gnats are few. Some advise putting something in the 
paint to make it obnoxious to flies, but this is hardly 
worth trying. Select the proper time and weather 
conditions, and defer painting otherwise if possible. 

When mixing paint to get a tint, add the lightest 
color first, then the darker one, according to depth of 
color and tinting strength. 

When you wish to add a little oil to a japan color 
first mix the japan color with a little turpentine, then 
mix in the oil. Then the color will not curdle. 

When about to mix colored paint you may save 
time and labor by breaking up the white lead or zinc 
separately from the colors, then strain both before 
mixing together. 

The rule with paint makers is one-half pint best 
turpentine japan drier to eight pints of raw oil, which 
is calculated to dry the paint in from eighteen to 
twenty-four hours in fair weather. 



566 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



Adding a large quantity of oil at the start may 
cause the lead to break up lumpy. 

Where turpentine is used to a large proportion in a 
paint the quantity of driers used must be reduced or in 
some cases omitted. 

A wall crack filled and coated over with shellac will 
show a glossy streak after painting, and the best way 
is to add some lead with the shellac. 

White lead is lead carbonate. 

Red lead is red oxide of lead. 

Litharge is yellow oxide of lead. 

Sugar of lead is lead acetate. 

Chrome yellow is lead chromate. 

There is no remedy for mildewing paint but to wash 
it off and paint it over again. 

Galvanized iron rusts more readily than the bar 
iron under all bare spots, while steel sheeting rusts 
sooner than iron sheeting. 

The most valuable iron oxides for painting with are 
the bright reds, the browns, and the yellows. 

"I find red lead the best priming paint, as it is hard 
when dry and resists dampness and heat. The prim- 
ing paint for outside work should be of a nature to 
penetrate the wood, dry hard, and hold fast to the 
fiber of the wood, thus making a sure ground for sub- 
sequent coats." 

A painter uses this primer for old brick and plaster 
walls : Add together, dry, 5 pounds yellow ochre, 5 
pounds silver white, and 5 pounds white lead, and thin 
with boiled oil. 

Plenty of raw oil with Venetian red that has been 
ground in oil makes the best foundation for brick wall 
painting. A_pply liberally. 

Turpentine should weigh 7 pounds 3 ounces to the 
standard U. S. gallon. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 567 



Benzine when dropped on white paper should evap- 
orate within three minutes ; if a greasy mark remains 
after five minutes it is not good; 63 deg. benzine 
should weigh 6 pounds 1? ounces to the gallon, U. S. 
standard gallon measure of 231 cubic inches. 

When painting blinds have a little stick for opening 
the slats with ; leave hand-holds on the sides, to handle 
the blind with. Keep the paint off the hands as much 
as possible. 

It will require three pounds of 15CL chrome yellow 
to do the same amount of tinting that one pound of 
25ct. chrome will do. Moreover, you will not get as 
rich a tint from the iSct. article, no matter how much 
more of it you may use. 

One-half pound of lampblack in oil, of the best qual- 
ity, will go farther than two pounds of a low-grade 
black that will cost only as much as the half pound of 
black. And you will not get as good results from the 
inferior black. 

Of the two, thin paint is better than thick, but will 
need more coats. Thick paint will not brush -out well, 
and is apt to crack. Thin paint is more elastic, and 
wears well, because of the greater amount of oil in it. 

Paint should always be stirred every now and again 
so asjio keep the liquids, such as oil, turpentine and 
japan, thoroughly mixed. If this is not done some 
parts of the work are liable to dry quicker and others 
slower, instead of the whole surface drying even and 
alike. 

Comparing the materials which were painted, we 
find that, generally, poplar retains the paint better 
than white pine, and would, therefore, be preferred 
for siding on buildings, etc. Yellow pine seems to be 
the worst of all for this purpose. 



568 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

Black iron, as a whole, seems to retain the paint 
better than either tin or galvanized iron. — The Rail- 
road Gazette. 

The careful workman will not mix a great deal too 
much paint for the job in hand; if any is left over, 
put it in a tin with a cover, and label it, showing what 
is in the can, with date of mixing. 

Paint won't run if it is spread out well. Of course 
it will run if it is not rubbed out. 

Three or four thin coats are far better than two 
heavy coats on exterior work. 

It has been shown by tests that a paint made from 
90 parts of good boiled oil and 10 parts of turpen- 
tine is less porous when dry than a paint made from 
either raw or boiled oil alone. 

As a rule, gasoline evaporates, in connection with 
paint, more rapidly than benzine does, by about one- 
fourth the time. 

Too much oil with dry white lead will cause the 
paint to sag and run. 

The Paint Shop Lye Barrel 

Many years ago, when a "jour." painter quit work 
for the day, just a few minutes before his allotted ten 
hours were up, he would set his pot on the floor and 
wipe it down, using his brush, and in this way the in- 
side of the pot would be nice and clean. The outside 
would then be wiped clean with a rag. As a rule, 
very little paint was permitted to get onto the outside 
of the pot, but much depended on the character of the 
work he was on. Nowadays, the boss says it does not 
pay to let the "jour" take the time necessary for wip- 
ing down the pot, and hence it comes into the shop, or 
remains on the job, very dirty with paint; though 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER . 569 



once in a while it will be put into the lye barrel for a 
cleaning. 

The "lye barrel" may be the half of an oil barrel or 
the whole. Into this put ten pounds of fresh stone 
lime and pour enough boiling water over it to cover it ; 
and cover up with some bagging, to keep in the heat 
and steam. Add ten pounds of soda ash or pearlash, 
or five pounds of caustic soda, or potash, or concen- 
trated lye, adding more hot water to form a thick 
paste, and stir occasionally. Next morning uncover 
it and add enough water to leave a strong solution, the 
more water the weaker the solution; use your judg- 
ment. Place the pots in this, and in a short time the 
paint will become loose, then remove pots and scrape 
off the paint, then wash off and finish scraping off in 
running water, or still water if nothing better offers. 

As the liquid gradually grows weaker from use it 
will finally be necessary to remove the liquid from the 
sediment at the bottom, and then it is well to have the 
other half-barrel ready, pouring the strained liquid 
into it and adding more lye to make it strong again. 
The residue from the first barrel may be treated with 
clear water, washing out the lye remaining, and final- 
ly pouring it out so that it may allow all water to 
evaporate, after which it may be mixed with some pot 
scrapings or odds and ends of paints, or with some 
cheap filling material, and a coarse paint made from 
it, one useful for various purposes. Or the residue 
may be mixed at once with old paint and whiting, dry 
color, etc., and made thus into a rough paint. The 
little lye present will not seriously affect the paint, and 
it will enable the oil in the paint, if any be added, to 
mix well with the watery part of it. 

In the paint shop economy there should be no waste, 
everything should be used and some money made out 



570 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



of it. Even the paint formed on the board where 
brushes are wiped out should be collected and boiled 
up into paint. Foots of varnish and oil, paint-pot 
scrapings, varnish and paint odds and ends, all 
should be saved and made into paint. I once made a 
large washtub full of such paint, in which were old 
sample cans of wood fillers, varnishes of various sorts, 
colors and paints, and the usual assortment of the 
odds and ends of a paint shop. I did not boil it nor 
add any lye, but thinned down the whole batch with a 
little benzine and finally with raw oil, after which I 
strained it carefully and used it as the first coat on my 
own house, following with a second coat that was 
made up of the best materials. That job stood well 
for years before requiring re-painting. 

Notes on Zinc White 

If the zinc white shows a yellow tint the discoloring 
is due to traces of cadmium sulphide. 

The only action which sulphuretted hydrogen can 
have on zinc is to form zinc sulphide, which is itself of 
a white color, and therefore does not injure the ap- 
pearance of the white coat, and even in tinted coats 
the action can hardly be noted. It is questionable, 
however, if the sulphide of zinc is formed at all. 

Zinc oxide is prepared from ( i ) metallic zinc and 
(2) from zinc ore. The latter is known as the "in- 
direct" process, and is mostly used in the United 
States. 

Pure zinc has an extraordinary capacity for spread- 
ing (much more so than white lead) which must not 
be confounded with covering as understood by paint- 
ers. A very much larger area can be covered with 
pure zinc than with white lead, but it would not be 
solid. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 571 



Zinc white should always be kept in zinc tins or in 
tinned iron vessels. If put in wooden casks the latter 
absorbs the oil from the paste, which deteriorates it. 
It should never be covered with water, which disin- 
tegrates it. Oil should always be used for covering 
the zinc when the keg is once opened. 

To test the purity of zinc white in its dry state, it 
may be heated and then allowed to cool, when it must 
return to its original whiteness. Boiled in dilute ni- 
tric or muriatic acid, it should dissolve completely 
without effervescence. If it effervesces during solu- 
tion, there is some carbonic gas present, due to white 
lead, whiting, or carbonate of zinc. If any insoluble 
matter be present, it is most likely barytes. To test 
zinc in oil, wash out the oil with gasoline or ether, and 
after drying the pigment, test as above. 

The very best zinc oxide has an apparently poorer 
covering quality than white lead, but we are informed 
by those interested in the matter that if we take zinc 
and lead pound for pound, and not by mere bulk — 
zinc being bulkier than lead — we shall find that it 
covers quite as well as lead. It is said that the Iowei 
grades of zinc oxide, or what passes for such, have 
very much less covering power than the best grade. 
White lead cannot easily be adulterated to any extent 
without detection by any user; but it is said to be 
different with zinc, which may easily be adulterated 
and then its short-comings are blamed upon the zinc 
itself. 

Leaded zinc is now adopted to indicate an oxide of 
zinc which contains a proportion of basic sulphate of 
lead. The presence of lead is due to the mode of pro- 
duction of the pigment, and the nature of the ore from 
which it is obtained. A well-known authority has 
brought out clearly that provided the proportion of 



572 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



lead did not exceed a reasonable limit the pigment did 
not suffer, but on the contrary became a better protec- 
tive medium. 

Perfect Color Combinations 

The following table of color combinations was com- 
piled by an expert artist: 
Black and white. 
Blue and gold. 
Blue and orange. 
Blue and salmon. 
Blue and maize. 
Blue and brown. 
Blue and black. 
Blue, scarlet and lilac. 
Blue, orange and black. 
Blue, brown, crimson and gold. 
Blue, orange, black and white. 
Red and gold. 
Red, gold and black. 
Scarlet and purple. 
Scarlet, black and white. 
Crimson and orange. 
Yellow and purple. 
Green and gold. 

Green, crimson, turquoise and gold. 
Green, orange and red. 
Purple and red. 
Purple, scarlet and gold. 
Lilac and gold. 

Lilac, scarlet, and white or black. 
Lilac, gold, scarlet and white. 
Lilac and black. 
Pink and black. 
Black, with white or yellow and crimson. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 573 

Pigments not Affected by Sulphur Gas. — 
Zinc white, barytes, silica, China clay, lithopone, 
terra alba, whiting. Zinc lead and sublimed lead are 
nearly proof against gas. Yellow ochre, Venetian 
red, Indian red, Tuscan red, ultramarine green, all 
the brown earth pigments, such as umber, Vandyke 
brown, iron oxides, etc., lampblack, drop black, ultra- 
marine blue, Prussian blue. 

Pigments not Affected by Alkali. — Barytes 
and whiting, yellow ochre, Venetian and Indian reds, 
cobalt, ultramarine green, siennas, Vandyke brown, 
iron oxides, lamp and drop blacks, ultramarine blue. 

Pigments Proof Against Lime. — Barytes, litho- 
pone, zinc white, whiting, China clay, yellow ochre, 
Indian yellow, iron oxide reds, madder reds, and in 
less degree, red lead and English vermilion, cobalt 
green and terra verte, umbers and Vandyke brown, 
lampblack and drop black, cobalt and ultramarine blue. 

Permanent Pigments. — There are, to speak ac- 
curately, no absolutely permanent pigments, although 
the natural pigments come nearest to being permanent 
of any used in the painting business. 

Generally speaking, dark colors are more permanent 
and endowed with a larger capacity for service, than 
the lig'hter ones, which in larg'e part are made arti- 
ficially or with a dye base. This does not imply, how- 
ever, that all chemically produced colors worked out 
upon a dye base, or otherwise, are fugitive mediums, 
because, as is well known, not a few of the most dur- 
able and finest pigments belong to the artificial class. 

Nevertheless, a majority of the chemically prepared 
colors possess a fleeting quality, although such colors 



574 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



are very brilliant in tone and beautiful in their surface 
effects. 

The rich and quiet effects produced from the use 
of the dark, subdued colors, have a tenacity of lustre, 
and a permanence of surface film which makes them 
very desirable from about every available point of 
view. Moreover, such colors are less affected by the 
varnish coats. 

The Whites With Various Names. — Frequently 
when reading about paint or colors we come across 
unfamiliar names of familiar substances, and the fol- 
lowing- little list will tell of the different names cer- 
tain white pigments are known by : 

Whiting. — Bolted gilder's whiting, Spanish white, 
Paris white, English cliffstone, chalk, commercial 
whiting. Its name in chemistry is calcium carbon- 
ate, or carbonate of lime. 

Gypsum.— Terra alba (meaning white earth), ala- 
baster, alabastine, plaster of Paris. It is a natural 
sulphate of lime. Hydrated calcium sulphate. 

Soapstone. — Steatite, talc, French chalk, hydrated 
magnesium silicate. 

Silica. — Silex, quartz, silicon dioxide. 

China Clay. — Kaolin, white bole, hydrated alumi- 
num, silicate. 

Blanc Fixe. — Permanent white, precipitated barium. 

Barytes. — Heavy spar, barium sulphate. 

Zinc Oxide. — Zinc white, oxide of zinc. 

The pigments that contain sulphur are vermilion 
(sulphide of mercury) ; cadium yellow (sulphide of 
cadium) ; ultramarine blue and sulphide zinc white. 

Imitation Artist Colors. — Where the work de- 
mands artist colors, and the price will not admit of 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 575 



the more expensive pigments, they may be imitated 
very nicely as follows : 

Madder Brown. — Indian red and a little brown 
added to any cheap crimson. 

Purple Lake. — Vermilion and a little ultramarine 
blue. 

Brozvn Pink. — Raw sienna and a little Vandyke 
brown, with a touch of Prussian blue. 

Auroelin. — Medium chrome yellow and lemon 
chrome yellow with a touch of white. 

Cobalt Green. — -White lead, Prussian blue, and a 
little Brunswick green ; or white lead, ultramarine 
blue and emerald green. 

Sepia. — Burnt sienna and lampblack with a touch of 
Indian red; or, black, Venetian red and burnt umber. 

To Darken Colors. — To darken greens add black 
or blue. To lighten add yellow or white. 

To darken blues add Prussian blue or black; to 
lighten add white. 

To darken vermilion add Indian red, or Venetian 
red, umber or Vandyke brown, according to the shade 
desired. 

To darken Indian red or Venetian red add umber 
or Vandyke brown ; to lighten add vermilion. 

To darken umber or Vandyke brown add black; to 
lighten add Indian red or Venetian red. 

Absorption of Oil.- — <A color maker reports the 
results of experiments in the absorption of linseed 
oil by pigments in the process of grinding to paste 
form as follows, in ioo-lb. lots : 

Burnt umber took 93 lbs. oil, or 83 per cent. 

Raw umber took y\\ lbs. oil, or 64.4 per cent. 

Burnt sienna took 104 lbs. oil, or 93 per cent. 

Raw sienna took 128I lbs. oil, or 128} per cent. 



576 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



Colors, Permanent and Fugitive. — Chrome yel- 
low is fugitive, and becomes dark in air containing 
sulphur. 

The umbers and siennas, burnt and raw, burnt 
ochre and Vandyke brown, all are stable colors. 

Ultramarine blue is the only blue that will stand, 
while Prussian blue, cobalt blue, Antwerp blue and 
indigo blue will fade, singly or in combination. 

Of the reds, those to be depended upon are Vene- 
tian red, Indian red, light red and madder lake. For 
exterior use it is better to avoid chrome red, carmine 
lake and vermilion. 

Green made from Prussian blue and chrome yellow 
will fade on exterior work, the Prussian blue fading 
out. Better make outside green with ochre and black, 
though there are some chemical greens made that 
stand very well outside. 

Pigments produced by heat will change under the 
influence of heat of a different character or tempera- 
ture; they all generally deepen. 

A Useful Mixing Rule. — For each gallon of oil 
used take as much pigment as four times the specific 
gravity of the pigment. 

We give below a few samples of paint mixed in 
accordance with this rule : 

One gallon of oil requires 26.40 lbs. of dry white 
lead. 

One gallon of oil requires 21.20 lbs. of dry white 
zinc. 

One gallon of oil requires 20 lbs. of Indian red. 

One gallon of oil requires 12 lbs. of yellow ochre. 

One gallon of oil requires 11.84 lbs. of umber. 

One gallon of oil requires 10.40 lbs. of bone black. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 577 



To Hasten Drying of Certain Pigments. — 
White lead helps the drying of any pigment it may 
be added to, and a little burnt umber will assist Van- 
dyke brown in drying, the latter being a very poor 
drier. A minute portion of red lead will help the 
drying of lakes without materially injuring their 
beautiful hue. Raw sienna is a poor drier, and a lit- 
tle raw umber will help it dry and not alter its tone. 
A mixture of a little Prussian blue and red lead mixed 
as a dark grey, will always secure the drying of black 
without interfering with its intensity. Indeed, a 
very good black, such as artists use, may be made with 
Prussian blue and red. 

Te^t for Turpentine. — The mineral oils, ben- 
zine, gasoline, naphtha, etc., are soluble in turpen- 
tine ; aniline oil also is soluble in turpentine. But the 
mineral oils are not soluble in aniline oil. Mix 80 
parts turpentine with 20 parts benzine and you get a 
clear, clean, uniform solution; having placed this so- 
lution in a small vial, add 100 parts of aniline oil and 
shake for half a minute or so. Allowing it to rest a 
minute, we shall find two distinct and separate layers 
in the vial. The explanation is this : the aniline oil 
can and does mix with the turpentine ; it cannot, how- 
ever, mix with the benzine. The result is that the 
benzine is forced out of the turpentine mixture by 
the aniline oil and must float by itself on top of the 
new mixture of aniline oil and turpentine. This ex- 
periment may be made with a little vial, say three 
inches high and one-half inch in diameter. Into it 
pour about one inch of the aniline oil, on top of this 
pour an equal volume of the turpentine to be tested. 
Close the vial with your thumb, shake, then set aside 
a few moments. If after say five minutes the mix- 



578 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



ture remains uniform, then it contains no added min- 
eral oils. After standing a day or two a separation 
will sometimes take place, but this is due to a change 
in the aniline oil. 



Condit mentions an instance of pump rods being 
coated with red lead and immersed for forty-five 
years in a well 200 feet deep, and at the end of that 
time their weight was found to be precisely the same 
as when new, there having ensued no loss from rust. 

G. Bouscaren, C. E., states with regard to the 
painting of bridges, that having used both varieties 
of paint, he gives preference to the red lead. The 
red-lead paint adheres better to the iron and fails 
principally by wear and a gradual transformation of 
the red lead into carbonate, whilst the iron paint fails 
by scaling. 




THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 579 



COMPOSITION OF PAINTS AND THEIR COST 

HE following is taken from a bulletin is- 
sued in the autumn of 1912 by the United 
States Department of Agriculture, the title 
of the bulletin being, "The Use of Paint on 
the Farm." It is very interesting and in- 
structive reading for the painter, and is a part only 
of the bulletin, the rest of it not particularly interest- 
ing the painter : 

It probably would not be denied by any one that 
a better paint can be made in a well-equipped factory 
than by an individual at home or in a small shop. 
Many ready-mixed paints are of the very best qual- 
ity, but man}- are of poor quality, made of cheap ma- 
terials, and at the same time are sold with extrava- 
gant claims, and for high prices. The number of dif- 
ferent formulas found on the market is enormous, and 
no attempt will be made to give a complete, or even 
a representative list of them. An effort will be made, 
however, to give a few typical formulas of paints and 
the methods of calculating the cost of making paints 
whose composition is known. A very good rule to 
follow in purchasing mixed paints is to buy nothing 
which does not bear the name of the manufacturer. 
If the manufacturer's name does not appear on the 
label, this is very good presumptive evidence that he 
is not particularly proud of his product. Many States 
require that the composition of paint should be stated 
on the label, and a large number of the best manu- 
facturers do this, whether their products are sold in a 
State requiring such labeling or not. 

The most expensive paints are generally white 
paints or very light tints. The reason for this is that 



580 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



there are comparatively few white pigments which 
have covering power, i.e., the property of hiding the 
surface of the material painted. Samples of dry 
white lead and of dry whiting look much alike. Both 
are white powders, and a thin layer of each appears 
to be practically opaque. If, however, the two pig- 
ments are mixed in oil the whiting is transparent, 
while the white lead is opaque. All of the cheaper 
white pigments are more or less transparent in oil 
and are, therefore, deficient in covering power. 
White lead, zinc white, sublimed lead, zinc lead, and 
'lithopone are practically thie only white pigments, 
which have good covering power in oil. These pig- 
ments are all rather expensive, and as they are heavy, 
it takes a large amount to make a paint. 

Of the dark shades there are a number of cheaper 
pigments which have very good covering power. It 
will be quite safely stated that for a white paint that 
reallv covers, some one or more of the white pig- 
ments just enumerated must be used. For a dark 
brown, however, a good covering can be obtained with 
an iron oxide pigment, which is very much cheaper. 
Therefore, for such paints, there is no reason for using 
an expensive lead or zinc pigment. 

Estimated Cost of White Paints 

A vehicle for outside paint of the best quality will 
generally consist of from 90 to 95 per cent, of lin- 
seed oil, and from 10 to 5 per cent, of japan drier. 
A good japan drier has about the same specific grav- 
ity as linseed oil, and each may be considered to weigh 
about 7^ pounds to the gallon. Of course, the price 
of all paint materials vary, but at the present time, 
linseed oil sells for approximately 90 cents per gallon, 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 581 



and a good grade of japan can be bought for $1.60. 
In making up paints the drier should be mixed with 
the larger portion of the oil before adding the pig- 
ment. Using the prices and weights just given for 
linseed oil and japan drier, the liquid portion of a 
paint will cost about 95 cents a gallon, or 12^ cents 
a pound. White lead, both dry and in the form of 
paste, costs approximately 7 cents a pound, zinc white 
approximately 8 cents a pound, and the other white 
pigments which cover well will not differ much from 
these two in price. A gallon of white lead paint will 
weigh from 21 to 22 pounds. Fourteen pounds of 
dry white lead and j\ pounds of vehicle will make a 
gallon of paint, and at the prices quoted the cost would 
be about $1.87; 15 pounds of paste lead and 6^ pounds 
of vehicle will make a gallon of paint, costing $1.82; 
9^ pounds of white zinc and 5! pounds of paint ve- 
hicle will make a gallon of zinc white paint, costing 
about $1.46. 

Of course, these prices are based on an assumed 
cost for the ingredients, and to make an exact esti- 
mate it would be necessary to know the exact prices 
of the different materials entering into the paint. 
Many painters insist that a paint composed entirely 
of white lead, linseed oil, and drier is the best. Others 
contend that a mixture of white lead and zinc white 
is best, and still others say that a mixture of these 
pigments with the cheaper white pigments which have 
slight covering power, makes a better paint than the 
expensive pigments alone. It is probably true that 
a mixtue of lead and zinc is supeior to either pig- 
ment by itself, and also that the addition of a small 
amount of so-called inert pigments (silica, whiting, 
barytes, china-clay, etc.) has no injurious effect on the 
paint, and may even be beneficial. The addition of 



582 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



a large amount, however, of such pigments, will give 
a paint deficiency in covering power, and the addi- 
tion should have the effect of cheapening the prod- 
uct. There is no reason why any mixed paint should 
cost per gallon more than a paint made entirely of 
white lead and the necessary drier. By ascertaining 
the market price of white lead and linseed oil, the 
buyer should be able to calculate the maximum price 
for a mixed paint. 

Two samples of ready-mixed white paints which 
were bought at the same time, at practically 
the same price, will give an illustration of the differ- 
ence in price of such materials. No. 3361, a white 
paint, weighed 12.4 pounds to the gallon. The total 
paint consisted of 63 per cent, pigment and 37 per 
cent, vehicle. The pigment contained 30 per cent, 
zinc lead, 13 per cent, white lead, 7 per cent, whiting, 
and 50 per cent, barium sulphate. Assuming the value 
of the zinc lead to be the same as that of the white 
lead, 43 per cent, of the pigment was worth 7 cents 
a pound, and assuming the value of the whiting and 
barium sulphate to be 1 cent a pound, 57 per cent, of 
the pigment was worth 1 cent a pound. The average 
price per pound of the pigment would, therefore, be 
3.58 cents. A gallon of the paint weighs 12.4 pounds, 
of which 63 per cent., or 7.812 pounds, is pigment; 
this, at 3.58 cents a pound, would cost 28 cents. 
Thirty-seven per cent, of vehicle in the gallon of paint 
will weigh 4.588 pounds. In this paint it consists of 
linseed oil and a cheap benzine drier, costing about 
1 1 cents a pound, or 50 cents for the vehicle. The to- 
tal cost of the materials in the paint, then, would be 
78 cents per gallon. 

Another paint, No. 3864, weighed 14.8 pounds per 
gallon and consisted of 58 per cent, pigment and 42 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 583 



per cent, of vehicle. The pigment was 55 per cent, 
white lead and 45 per cent, zinc white. If the price 
of these two pigments was 8 and 7 cents respectively, 
the average price of the pigment in this paint would 
De 7-55 cents per pound. Since the gallon of paint 
weighed 14.8 pounds and contained 58 per cent, of 
pigment, a gallon contained 8.584 pounds of pigment 
and 6.216 pounds of vehicle. The vehicle in this case 
was linseed oil and a good grade of turpentine drier. 
The pigment in this gallon of paint would be worth 
65 cents (8.584X7.55) and the vehicle 76 cents 
6.216X12.25). The total cost of the materials in 
this paint, therefore, would be $1.41. 

These two paints, as before stated, were bought at 
the same time and at practically the same price. The 
prices paid would not be indicative of their value at 
the present day, since they were bought several years 
ago, when paint materials were considerably cheaper 
than they are now ; but it is obvious that the margin 
of profit was very much greater on paint No. 3861 
than on No. 3864. 

Tinted paints, at least those of light tint, consist 
practically of white paint with the addition of a small 
amount of coloring matter. The coloring materials 
used in tinting are not uniform, and it is not pos- 
sible, therefore, to give exact directions for produc- 
ing a particular shade, since the amount of color used 
will depend upon the individual characteristics of the 
particular lot on hand. In general gray tints are 
made from white paints by the addition of a black 
pigment such as lampblack or bone black, and some- 
times a small amount of red and blue is used also. 
The total amount of coloring matter employed varies, 
but rarely amounts to as much as 5 per cent. Buff 
mav be made bv the addition of black, red, and some- 



584 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



times yellow. Yellow and cream may be made by the 
addition of ochre or chrome yellow ; frequently for 
this purpose golden ochre is used, which is ordinary 
ochre brightened by the addition of small amounts 
of chrome yellow. Blue tints may be made by the 
addition of small amounts of Prussion blue. This is 
a powerful tinting pigment, and it is seldom that 
more than i per cent, is required. With the white 
paints which contain no lead, ultramarine blue may 
be used instead of Prussian blue; but ultramarine blue 
should not be used with lead paints. 

Besides the tinted white paints, bright colors are 
sometimes desired, especially green, for blinds, and 
reds for trimmings of houses or for machinery. 
These paints seldom contain any large amount of the 
expensive lead and zinc white pigments, but consist 
of comparatively small quantities of coloring matter 
and large amounts of the cheap white pigments. For 
black paints there is practically only one coloring 
substance, namely, carbon, which, however, occurs 
commercially in a number of forms. The color of 
so-called drop or ivory black is carbon, obtained from 
charred bone ; lampblack is carbon in the form of 
soot. The latter, although very pure, does not make 
a satisfactory black alone, the heavier forms of car- 
bon, such as bone black or even ground charcoal, 
producing a better black. 

In the following' table is given the composition of 
several tinted paints, and also of bright red, bright 
green, and black. The composition of individual lots 
of paint of any of these tints or colors might vary 
considerably from that given, and the table is only il- 
lustrative of the materials from which these different 
kinds of paint may be made. An estimate of the cost 
of the raw materials entering into the different for- 



•£. Co to i-i 



o 



o 



oo 


n 


be 


o 


o 


3 


o 








-: 


G. CT* 


(D 


n> 


n 


ra 






3 


-i 


CT 1 


pj 








3 


O 


P 


ET 


O. 


n 


3 


o 


o* 


3-D- 


?r 


c 
3 
CD 


■-t 

n 


o 

r> 
3* 


to 



rr, -t ~ 



< 



• <£L ri «■ — — o 3* a • 
~> — i-^^ — -I in a --w 



3^Cfq 



to oo-fc. 

to ii 



3 O 3 

ao ^ 



•-I — ^tn 



p co^ o*.-i cn. : 

do to VI 3 w on b\ i 



Tl 



3 M 



Co vj On 

■ ON VI 00 

vo to 



to vj ai 

VO V} h 

VI to 



On C0 4i. 
Oo -t- 00 
On$» 



to vi on ; 

w O O < 



,-^Cn i-< 

Oo Oa i-i ih 

~"o b b 



VO COvi On 



OO VJ Ul 

On 00 
Oo Co 



O On OOCn 4^. NO On i-i 

b to vb io "-'bob 



P 5'P O 

g 2.i1 _ Oo VJ <_n 

3 y fH 0*VJ VJ VO 

• S. o-pT o -* 



On 00*. 

•^ b0 



v- 'O O O 



3* 


<! 






M 


on 


O 

3 


ft _h 




. p 


On On Co 


1.0 

9.0 

I.O 

(6) 


bo*. 

O On 


O\0n 


dn 00*. 
vj Co 


CD 


5' 

3 


On i-i 


On 






a> 














►I 










O* 


a. 




. O 


ON*, w 


,-v*> 
vj Oo On 


o 


o Co 

3* to 


OOOn 


1-1 vj 
O 00 


Ovvg On 


'—'b b 


3 


O £ 


OO 






CD 


O 










to 


3 










x' 


ro 










3* 


^ - 




o 


On O On 


OOONVJ 


i-i 


— to 

o^> 


£8* 


O <-t 

on vO 


On 00*. 
00 to 


w b b 



i" !*".<!»' si 

'mi O- 3" ^ o 

3"3- 

n> , 

a 



O > 



to to _i*. 

VO -I £?Co 

b b b 



■C t) 



o o b o 



O 

o 

O 
en 

H 

O 

> 

a 

n 
o 

m 

H 

so 

*^ 

9» GO* - ! 

2 a 
g > 

2 

a 

« Q 
s o 
4 r 

" J o 

W 

a 

Big 

OH 







o 


On Co 


vo vj i-i 

h« m 

On On 


O 
00 

Oo 


O 


On On 

o o 



vo On vo On 

•— b b a 



II 



586 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



mulas is also included. The cost per gallon does not 
make any allowance for labor or for containers, but 
is based solely upon the cost of the raw materials, as- 
suming that white lead and sublimed white lead cost 
7 cents a pound, white zinc 8 cents, and the other 
white pigments, barium salts, china clay, whiting, 
and asbestine, i cent a pound. The price of the color- 
ing material is given separately for each paint. These 
prices for the raw materials are a fair approximation 
of the retail price at the present time. In calculating 
the cost of the paints per gallon it is assumed that 
the vehicle in all cases is the same as that described 
under "Estimated Cost of White Paint," and it is 
valued at 12^ cents a pound. An inspection of the 
table shows that there is comparatively little differ- 
ence in the cost of the materials entering into these 
paints, with the exception of black paint, which is con- 
siderably cheaper than any of the others. The red 
paint is colored by an expensive color, para-red, cost- 
ing 78 cents a pound; the rest of the pigment, how- 
ever, is cheap, and it will be noticed that the paint 
weighs only 11.6 per gallon, whereas some of the 
others weigh much more. 

For dark shades of red or brown there is probably 
nothing which is as cheap as the oxide of iron pig- 
ments. These vary very much in shade, giving both 
browns and dull red. A pigment that gives a very 
satisfactory reddish brown and contains about 40 
per cent, of iron oxide, makes a very satisfactory 
paint containing approximately 56 per cent, pigment 
and 44 per cent, vehicle, the vehicle being very much 
the same as that used in a first-class white paint. 
Such a paint will weigh about 13.5 pounds to the 
gallon, which, therefore, will contain 7.56 pounds of 
pigment and 5.94 pounds of vehicle. This pigment 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 587 



is cheap, generally costing not more than I or l£ 
cents per pound. The pigment in a gallon of this 
paint, therefore, would cost approximately 10 cents, 
and the 5.94 pounds of vehicle about 7^ cents, giv- 
ing a cost of 83 cents for the gallon of paint. 

An inspection of these figures shows that the ex- 
pensive part of this paint is the vehicle and not the 
pigment. A paint of this character is a very good 
material to apply to either wood or iron. There are 
more expensive paints, however, frequently used on 
iron to protect it from rusting, the most popular be- 
ing red lead and linseed oil. This material undoubt- 
edly affords very good protection, but it is also ex- 
pensive. A red-lead paint cannot be made and kept 
as other paints can. The red lead itself causes the 
oil to dry, and no additional drier is necessary. In 
fact, red lead should not be mixed until just before 
it is used. A paint made of 70 per cent, of red lead 
and 30 per cent, of linseed oil, will weigh about 19.8 
pounds to the gallon. A gallon of paint, thererore, 
will contain 13.86 pounds of red lead, which costs 
about 8 cents a pound, making the cost of the pig- 
ment in a gallon of this paint approximately $1.11. 
The 30 per cent, of linseed oil will weigh 5.94 pounds, 
and a gallon of linseed oil 7.75 pounds, costing about 
90 cents at the present time, or 11.5 cents a pound. 
The oil in the paint will cost, then, about 68 cents, 
and a gallon of red lead paint would cost $1.79, as 
compared with 83 cents for a gallon of oxide of iron 
paint. These two paints will cover about the same 
area of clean iron, and while somewhat better service 
might be expected from the red lead paint, it is more 
than twice as expensive as the iron oxide products. 



588 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



The Use of Rubber Paint 

So-called rubber paint has been in use for many 
years, but in some instances at least, the rubber ex- 
isted only in the name, none being" in the paint. But 
raw rubber is used in the making- of damp-resisting 
paint for certain purposes. The value of such a 
paint, however, depends upon the retention by the 
rubber, after solution, of the unique properties for 
which it is used, and experience has shown that the 
quality of the rubber exerts no inconsiderable influ- 
ence on the elasticity and durability of the paint. 
But much depends upon the proper solution of the 
rubber, for if this is not accomplished right the rubber 
will not mix perfectly with the paint, but remain in 
particles without becoming an actual part of the paint 
in the sense in which it should. The solution of the 
rubber in solvents is a discussed question with those 
who have studied the subject, and the weight of evi- 
dence seems to support the view that the rubber does 
not "dissolve" in the common sense of that term, but 
that the particles simply become jellified, and, in that 
state, are distributed throughout the paint, inducing 
in the mass a sort of colloidal condition. Be this as 
it may, it is certain that different samples of nomin- 
ally pure rubber yield entirely different results after 
treatment with solvents, and recent investigation has 
suggested a probable reason for this. It has been 
found that a rubber is now obtained from a tree en- 
tirely different from the Heveas or true rubber tree, 
and true rubber is adulterated with this, or is used as 
a substitute for the true rubber. This new rubber is 
less elastic than the true, and differs in other respects. 

The Para or true rubber may be dissolved in disul- 
phide of carbon, with coal tar benzol, or with tur- 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 589 



pentine spirits, and in this condition may be mixed 
with linseed oil. The rubber is first cut into strips 
and placed in a vessel that can be perfectly stoppered, 
then the solvent is poured over the rubber to cover 
the strips ; allow the vessel to be in a warm place 
and shake it now and then. If the mass becomes 
very thick, add more solvent, to make it more fluid. 
Then it may be mixed with boiled oil, first straining 
it to remove sediment; then the mixture may be 
heated on a sand bath, to effect perfect amalgamation. 
Solutions with coal tar benzol are preferable to those 
made with disulphide of carbon, the latter being very 
volatile, and when it does leave the mixture the latter 
will be found full of rubber-like particles. 



Rosin Oil Paint 

In place of linseed oil, solutions of rosin in tur- 
pentine, benzine, benzol, or other hydrocarbons with 
or without admixtures of drying oil, rosin oil or min- 
eral oils, are used in the preparation of paints intended 
for purposes of minor importance. Such paints are 
suitable for cases where no particular importance is 
attached to durability, for painting unplaned wood, 
etc. 

It is, of course, the binding agent, i.e., the liquid 
mixed with the body colors, which principally deter- 
mines the drying, the brilliancy and the durability of 
the paints. Simple solutions of rosin in turpentine 
oil and similar volatile liquids, dry most rapidly, but 
they have little durability; they rapidly deteriorate 
when exposed to the air or to the action of moisture, 
and can be rubbed away in the form of powder as 



590 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



soon as they are dry. A certain quantity of drying 
oil is added to the solutions to increase their durabil- 
ity; this, however, again delays the hardening and 
consequently, the work. Besides drying oil, rosin and 
mineral oils are employed for such paints, and in this 
way an appreciably cheaper product is obtained than 
when drying oils are used. On the whole, the prepa- 
ration of these cheap paints is a fairly easy matter. 
The rosin is either ground or dissolved in the solvent 
by means of stirring, shaking and moderate heating, 
and the liquid thus obtained clarified by storing for 
a short time, or the rosin is melted, the drying oil, 
rosin oil or mineral oil added, the whole placed over 
the fire for a time, and finally mixed with the diluent. 
Then the product is stored to clarify and at last 
ground with the body colors in a fine powder in a 
paint grinding machine. All body colors, with the 
exception of white lead, zinc white and red lead, can 
be used for these paints, and every shade of color can 
be produced, but in most cases the selection is re- 
stricted to the mineral colors (yellow, red, brown and 
black and chrome green), while bright tints are pre- 
pared by means of lithopone (opaque white). Lead 
and zinc colors are only used when a resinous com- 
pound (resinate) takes the place of rosin. As in 
the case of all ready colors intended for paints, it 
is very important that the body colors should be 
powdered very fine, and that they should be thor- 
oughly ground with the binding agent in order to 
obtain a uniform unguent-like product which can be 
spread evenly and in a thin layer. 

With all compounds containing benzol, solvent 
naphtha or benzine as diluents, great care is neces- 
sary on account of their excessive inflammability; 
no fire or light should be allowed in the workshop. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 591 

How Much Surface to a Gallon of Paint? 

This question is asked so often, and can be 
answered in a general way as follows : Under the 
average conditions a gallon of paint will cover 300 
square feet, two coats. To be more particularly 
answered we will have first to say, it depends upon 
the surface, whether it is new lumber or one that 
has been previously painted ; or if it be metal, whether 
smooth sheet iron or tin or rough structural steel, 
such as bridge work, etc. 

To the unthinking, a paint is valued at its cost per 
gallon. To those who can see a little further, a paint 
is valued not per gallon, but by cost per square yard 
or the finished job. Those who inquire still further, 
look into the durability of the paint and realize that 
the paint that puts off for the longest time the neces- 
sity for repainting is the best and cheapest. 

The wearing power, or durability of paint depends 
not only upon its own qualities, but the surface, the 
weather conditions while being applied, the manner 
in which it is applied, and several other points. 

The object of this article is to discuss the manner 
of application, or what effect the thickness of the coat 
or film has upon durability. 

Manufacturers are often led into making extrava- 
gant claims for the covering power of their paint, 
some saying 1000 square feet to the gallon on metal. 
It is evident to all that the greater the surface covered 
per gallon of paint, the less the cost for material per 
square yard, or per job. This point of first cost is 
made so prominent that the effect of spreading or ex- 
tending the paint over an area in excess of its ability 
to properly protect it, is overlooked. We wish to em- 
phasize this point. A paint film can easily be too thin 
to afford maximum protection. 



592 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



The usual limitation placed upon the paint is that 
so long- as it hides the surface satisfactorily it can be 
spread as far as it can be brushed out. We think 
this is a great mistake, for there are two classes of 
paints that cannot be so treated with best results from 
the standpoint of durability. First, there are those 
dark paints which possess such splendid hiding power 
that they can be brushed to the furthest limit. We 
will consider the second class a little later. 

Let us take, for example, one of the red oxide or 
graphite paints, which come in the first class. It is 
possible to spread them out so thin that the coat will 
be less in thickness than tissue paper, and it is un- 
reasonable to expect a paint film as thin as this to af- 
ford the maximum protection. If three or four coats 
are applied of this thickness, the results would be very 
satisfactory, but the labor cost, as well as the material 
consumed, would be too great to make this proposition 
one to be considered. 

We are then brought back to the question, "How 
much surface to the gallon of paint?" and qualify 
it by adding, "and obtain greatest durability?" In 
our opinion for one-coat work on metal or wood a 
gallon of paint should not be spread over 450 square 
feet for maximum protection, no matter what its 
color or body. Two-coat work, not over 600 square 
feet per coat, or 300 square feet per gallon, two coats. 

The second class referred to above, are those light- 
colored paints that will not cover or hide the surface 
satisfactorily if spread as thin as the dark paints. 
The tendency is to apply these paints as heavily as 
possible, in order to hide the surface; this result is 
being impaled on the other horn of the dilemma, and 
we have a paint film too thick to dry satisfactorily, 
and one that is sure to give trouble sooner or later 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 593 



in peeling, cracking, or scaling. It makes an unsafe 
foundation for subsequent coats of paint and is alto- 
gether unsatisfactory. 

No one should yield to the tempation of attaining 
covering at the expense of durability, by applying 
paints relatively poor in covering qualities in heavy 
coats, nor, on the other hand, should they apply 
paints relatively strong in covering power in coats 
too thin for durability. 

There are limits then, on either hand, beyond which 
it is not safe to go, and care and judgment must be 
exercised by the painter to keep within bounds. 

To find the number of g'allons of paint that can 
be made from a mix of ioo lbs. of white lead, you 
may consider that the lead alone is equal to 2| gal- 
lons. Add to this 2§ gallons the number of gallons 
of oil, turpentine, dryer, etc., and you will have the 
number of gallons of paint produced. 

It is often convenient and effective when soliciting 
business to be able to say what pure lead paint will 
cost per gallon as against anything else the property 
owner would think of using. For this reason it is well 
for each painter to make a memorandum to keep 
handy showing the cost of all materials used to mix 
up ioo lbs. of white lead — cost of oil, turps, dryer 
and colors. By dividing the total cost of lead, oil, 
colors, turps and dryer by the number of gallons of 
paint thus produced, you will get the cost per gallon. 

How Much Oil to ioo Pounds of Lead? — 
When estimating on the job you may allow five gal- 
lons to the hundred pounds of lead, and this will see 
you through all right. A pint of good liquid drier 
will be enough for this quantity of paint. Many use 
twice or three times as much, but we could do it with 



594 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 



even less than a pint, and this on outside work. Zinc 
white takes about half as much more oil than lead 
does, and twice as much driers, being a poor self- 
drier, while lead is a good drier. Raw linseed oil 
is also a good self-drier. 

How Much Paint Will ioo Pounds of Lead 
Make, — In general, white lead, as found in the keg, 
runs from 600 to 700 cubic inches per 100 lbs., 
averaging about 650 cubic inches, which corresponds 
to. 2.8 gallons per 100 pounds. Add oil to this and 
you get mixed paint according to the amount of oil 
added, or turpentine, also the driers, must be counted. 

The covering or spreading capacity of any liquid 
must depend on the thinness of the fluid. A bronze 
paint thinned with turpentine or benzine, with a little 
varnish to bind it, will cover more surface than one 
mixed with banana liquid. Say the former paint will 
cover about 800 square feet of surface, then the lat- 
ter will cover only 700 square feet. An ounce of 
bronze powder will cover about 25 square feet of av- 
erage surface, one that is not absorptive. To ascer- 
tain the number of pounds of white lead paint that 
will be required to cover a given surface, of wood, 
divide the number of square feet by 200, which will 
give the number of gallons required for two-coat 
work. The usual estimate for ready-mixed paint is 
that it will cover about 500 square feet of average 
surface, one coat. Remember, however, that all such 
estimates are merely approximate, many factors en- 
tering into the problem to affect the result. 

There is no standard for the spreading rate of oil 
paint in practice, but a paint that is in a condition for 
ordinary painting can be brushed out to cover 1200 
square feet of a fairly smooth surface to the gallon 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 595 



of paint. Indeed, in most cases, if not spread out at 
this i ate, the paint will run. 

The Man Who Wants to Economize 

Every once in a while you meet a man who has an 
idea that white lead paint is expensive, and while 
it may be the best paint, he cannot afford to use it on 
his house. Or, he may have only a certain amount he 
can spend for painting, and thinks the only way to 
make it do it to buy some cheap paint and get a man 
who once whitewashed a hen house for him, to spread 
it. 

The man who really wants to economize on his 
painting cannot afford to use anything but white lead 
and linseed oil paint, but he has to be shown, and it 
is usually necessary to start right in at the beginning 
and go through the whole proposition with him, and 
as he probably measures the cost of paint by the cost 
per gallon, that is the place to open up with some 
figures. 

If he is going to paint white, figure out the cost 
of the following mix, which would be an average for 
old work in fair condition: 

ioo lbs. pure white lead. 

4| gallons linseed oil. 

i gallon turpentine. 

i pint japan drier. 
One hundred pounds white lead bulks 2f gallons, 
so this will mix 8^ gallons of paint ready to spread. 
At retail prices prevailing in larger cities of the East 
and Middle West, this will figure out from $1.50 to 
$1.60 per gallon. Freights will increase this cost, de- 
pending on the distance from paint manufacturing 
centers, but all paints and paint materials increase in 
proportion, so the comparison remains the same. 



596 THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 

Now what can he get for that price per gallon 
except mail order paint at $1.11 per gallon, freight 
not prepaid ? And if you are posted on the paint that 
comes into your neighborhood, you can refer him to 
a job done with mail-order paint, which will settle 
the question then and there. 

If he wants some dark paint — chocolate brown, for 
example, figure out this mix at your local retail prices : 
ioo lbs. white lead. 
25 lbs. burnt umber. 
10 lbs. burnt sienna. 
Little medium chrome yellow. 
5^ gallons linseed oil. 
I gallon turpentine. 
^ pint japan drier. 

This mix will make 11 gallons of paint, and while 
it will figure out 15 cents to 25 cents per gallon 
higher than white or light tinted paints, it can be 
brushed out thinner and will cover enough more to 
offset the higher cost. 

When it comes to covering power, there is no paint 
that can be brushed out like white lead paint, and a 
gallon will cover a fourth to a half more surface than 
a mixture that must be flowed on thick in order to 
hide the surface beneath. 

Now, having him beaten at cost per gallon and cost 
per square yard, go at him on durability with some 
examples of your own work that are still in good con- 
dition after years of service. And don't fail to point 
out at the same time the trouble some one has had 
with cracked and scaling paint that had to be burned 
off before paint could be made to stick, and how this 
never occurs with pure white lead paint. 

The man who wants to economize surely cannot ar- 
ford to use anything but pure white lead. 



THE EXPERT HOUSE PAINTER 597 



Definitions of Color Terms 

Color is any of the primary, secondary or tertiary 
colors. 

Hue relates to a particular tone of color; thus, 
there are purple-blue, orange-yellow, etc. 

Tint is produced by adding a little color to white. 

Shade is obtained by adding black to a color. 

Grey is produced by adding a little black to white. 

Gray is produced by tinting white with blue, black, 
and a little red; on some grays a little yellow is also 
added, niaking a warm gray. 

Hot, as applied to color, means red; it is the hue 
of fire. Some think it actually influences the tem- 
perature in a room that has it in quantity. 

Warm, as applied to color, means yellow, and its 
modifications. It is advised for north rooms. 

Cold, as applied to color, means blue, which is the 

color of ice, and suggests coldness. Blue and its 

modifications are suggested for sunny rooms, when 

it is desired to make them appear less warm. Green 

is considered a cool color. 






'©o x 

















t ^ 



£°, 






























%^ 






'K< c- 






N o 






?0 N 



$°*. 



V" , 









^%. 






"O0 N 



















^ 












\ 0o ~ 






















ill 




'. 



Ittl iiiUiUitiflfliQfi 

llHriliiLllii] 1 















